Self Reflection
by HellHathPie986
Summary: Set at the very end of Dragon Ball Z, all known enemies are dealt with, all known adversaries easily taken care of. All that's left is time to one's self and memories of past happenings. Vegeta learns that even the Prince of all Saiyans is better off confiding in others than bottling it all up, no matter how horrifying
1. Nightmares

Vegeta awoke with a start, the sounds of his heavy rasping breaths disturbing the otherwise ambient silence of the night. His eyes overcompensated in their attempts to focus on the moonlight peaking behind the drawn shades, but his mind was quicker to assure him that the only energy signal nearby was his wife sleeping peacefully beside him. He felt a bead of sweat drip from his nose as he began piecing together his thoughts.

It was that dream again. The one from back when he was still working beneath Frieza. Vegeta scrubbed his face with his hands before flinging his legs over the side of the bed. He strode across the large master bedroom and towards the French doors which led to the veranda. He hoped the cool night air was enough to lower his body temperature and stop his heart from beating in his throat, but after three consecutive months of periodically dreaming the same dream, he knew it was only a matter of time before he'd be gasping awake once more.

He silently opened the door and stepped out onto the tiled stoop, gently closing it behind himself and reveling in the cold stone beneath his feet. He could remember a time, not too long ago, when he wouldn't have cared about waking every being in a ten-mile radius because of his foul mood. Now, on the other hand, he wasn't even sure how he'd be able to explain his dream to his wife. Not to mention she wasn't too keen on being woken up in the middle of the night, given how little sleep she seemed to get every other night. Vegeta walked across the small balcony garden to the rail that overlooked the largest inner courtyard of the estate. The moon was full, and the sky was clear, giving a beautiful view in the soft moonlight glow.

He crossed his arms over his chest and took a deep breath, trying to remember the meditation exercises he'd learned as a child. When the hierarchy of Planet Vegeta was still in control, his father was very strict on the balance of education. Prince Vegeta had always been an angry belligerent child, much more than his own father at the same age, and they often had their differences about how the prince was to spend his time. He found school extraordinarily boring and would much rather spend his time fighting than studying, but in the end, he kept up with his studies and halfheartedly tried to engage in stretching and meditation exercises. Under the reign of Frieza and as such a powerful and hotheaded boy, he certainly didn't have to listen to instructions unless they came from a commanding officer. It was only until he saw for himself how much his rage blinded him in battle that he began taking meditation even somewhat seriously. However, he was very late in the effort and old habits die hard.

Vegeta took another deep breath, holding it momentarily before releasing it through his nose. They were all dead. Frieza was dead. King Cold was dead. Even Cooler was dead. Not to mention Nappa and Raditz. His family. His planet.

His entire race.

Vegeta sucked in another breath, letting it sit a bit longer before forcing it out. It was useless to dwell on things lost in the past, but that didn't stop him from thinking about a future that could have been. One where he was finally rightfully crowned King of Planet Vegeta. Where he might have even led his people into battle against Frieza. Maybe they would have even won.

Vegeta scoffed at his own useless daydreams. There really was no use trying to imagine something so stupid. It wouldn't bring anything back, it wouldn't solve his problems, and it certainly wouldn't absolve anything of his past life. He filled his lungs once more and slowly released the air, feeling no less calm than when he'd first woken up. Vegeta turned and walked over to a stone bench, removing the cushions from the seat and tossing them aside. He plopped down, inhaling sharply from the cold stone touching his bare back and seeping in through the thin shorts. He leaned back and spread his arms across the back of the bench, taking another large breath and clearing his mind.

A scream. Flashes of light.

He squeezed his eyes shut and took another breath.

They relied on you, they trusted you. Are you going to make the same mistake twice?

Vegeta tightened his fists and let out a low growl of frustration.

"It's ended, it's over. There's no reason to dwell."

He could still see their faces. After so many years it was beginning to be difficult to distinguish every single mission from another, especially when they could all be chalked up to the same end goal. Regardless, there were still faces he just couldn't seem to forget.

A soft click brought the prince back to his senses, raising his guard for a moment until he realized who was at the door to his bedroom.

Trunks peered through the crack in the door frame, hoping he hadn't woken up his mom. She could be rather scary when her beauty sleep was disturbed, and his goal right now wasn't to see that side of her. He was accustomed to his dad sleeping in some other room, so he didn't think to pay attention to any other energy signal as he quietly crept through the large room. Vegeta watched from the French doors as his son slunk towards the oversized bed, staring across the top with an expectant gleam in his eye. He looked as if he was weighing a large option, probably whether it was a good idea to try and wake up his mom or not. Before the boy could make a move though, Vegeta gave a small burst of his energy and Trunks perked up. His eyes quickly darted to the doors that led to his parents' balcony, his expression turning sheepish when he saw his father. He padded across the room, his head bowed and eyes glancing up like a misbehaving puppy as he reached the door and quietly pushed it open.

Trunks stepped outside and shivered, letting the door close behind him.

"What's the matter?" Vegeta asked, and something about his tone made Trunks not want to just drop the topic at something simple. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering if it was actually worth it to try and talk about something like this with his father.

"I… had a bad dream." He answered softly, shifting uncomfortably. He expected his father to disregard him and tell him to grow up and go back to bed. He braced himself for the coldness that was normally his father, but instead he felt the man's hand ruffle his hair. He glanced up hopefully.

"What did you dream about?"

Trunks stood with his mouth hanging open like an idiot for a moment, not comprehending what was said before his eyes lit up briefly when he finally realized what he heard was correct. He was so excited that for a moment he forgot what he was doing.

"It, uhm…" He stated at first before remembering his bad dream, causing his expression to fall. "It was about Majin Boo." He answered simply, feeling like a silly child. After all, the evil side of Boo was gone. Now he was nothing more than a glutenous annoying pink blob. What was so scary about that?

Vegeta squeezed his son's shoulder lightly and led him over to the stone bench, letting out a heavy breath.

"What happened in your dream?" He asked as he took a seat. He sat leaning against the armrest with one leg stretched out across the bench and the other bent so his foot rested against the side of his knee. He beckoned Trunks over and sat him down on his bent leg, allowing the boy to lean back against his chest. Trunks marveled at how warm the man was, still a little confused about how his father wasn't in a grumpy mood.

"Well, umm, we're all fighting Boo, but everyone keeps getting hurt." Trunks admitted, squeezing his hands into fists. "And, and I'm trying my best, but it's not…" He trailed off, his voice catching as he tried to remind himself not to cry. He didn't want his father to dismiss him so soon, not because of something dumb like crying. "It's not enough. And everyone is… dying." He felt a hot tear stream down his cheek and he quickly wiped it away. "And Gohan dies, and Goten dies, and mom dies and you…" Trunks couldn't hold himself back any longer and wept loudly, turning in his father's lap to wrap his arms around the man's shoulders. He buried his head in the crook of Vegeta's neck as his father ignored the tears and drool dripping from the boy's face. He had no idea what came over him to just sit and stroke the boy's hair instead of ordering him to get himself together and tough it out. Maybe it was something he subconsciously wished his own father had done for him at his age? After all, he'd never had the chance to grow up alongside his parents. He wondered if his father would have even tolerated such an outburst at this age. Trunks was different though. He was growing up on a different planet under different circumstances, and while he may never be regarded as royalty and judged based on his fighting prowess, Vegeta could honestly admit he was glad Trunks wouldn't have to grow up amongst the turmoil of planet Vegeta.

Trunks very obviously tried to reel back the tears, his sobs turning into loud hiccups as he squeezed his father in a tight hug. Vegeta rubbed his back, allowing the boy to slowly calm down. They sat like that until Trunks eventually mustered up the will to let go of his father and wipe his nose and eyes.

"It's unfair of me to expect you to go into battle like that." Vegeta stated easily, looking off into the night's sky as he continued to stroke the boy's back. "While I may have been conceived entirely based on succession of the throne, and raised amongst warriors, you lead a very different kind of life." He mused, running his fingers through his son's hair once again.

"But I want to fight with you!" Trunks blurted, sitting up to look his father in the eye. "I really do! I'm not a baby, I just…" He trailed off, glancing down at the ground. Vegeta scoffed.

"You may still be a child, but you're my son and I know you're capable. But it's entirely different growing up surrounded by so much violence instead of having to step away from it and lead a civilian lifestyle." Vegeta commented, letting the kid lean back down to rest his head on the man's chest. They sat like that for a while. Trunks wanted to ask more, he was very curious about his father's life before he met his mother. He'd heard all kinds of stories from Goku, Chichi, Gohan, his mom, and lots of other people, and he knew his father wasn't a good person at first, but he wanted more stories of when his dad was young. And what about he grandparents? And his entire race, the other half that grew up on some other far away planet. He knew it wasn't there anymore, and the thought made him sad.

"Dad?" Trunks asked after a while.

"Yes Trunks?" His father answered in a way that made it sound like he had something else on his mind.

"Am I… going to die?"

Vegeta blinked, tearing himself away from his thoughts. He felt his son tense up as more hot tears dripped from his cheeks.

"Everyone dies someday." He offered, not sure if there was ever a way to make someone less uneasy about death. "It's not worth it to worry about it today."

Trunks was shaking and sniffling in his arms once again. Vegeta sighed bitterly.

"Stop worrying about it. With death comes life. People are born and then they die, and the cycle just continues on and on. But you are my son, a proud Saiyan, and a strong warrior. You're not going to die for a very long time, so you can't waste your time thinking about death." He offered as advice, patting his son on the back as he began calming down once again.

They sat like that for a while, until soft snores began escaping the boy's mouth and Vegeta wondered how long they had been like that. He decided to try sleeping again, figuring it was better than being exhausted all day. When he stood, he shifted the boy to still be in his arms, one arm beneath him as he was allowed to continue sleeping against his father's chest. Vegeta quietly entered the house, feeling Bulma's eyes follow him as he walked across the expanse and out the door. Carrying a sleeping Trunks after comforting him was sure to get the man on her good side and he couldn't help smirking at the thought.

After depositing the boy in his room, Vegeta eventually found a clock and groaned at the time. No use going back to sleep at five in the morning, he thought.

Vegeta headed for the kitchen, deciding coffee and a snack was in order while he waited for the family's personal chef to arrive for normal breakfast hours. He turned on a pot of coffee and started heading for the fridge when he suddenly felt something in his chest. Vegeta stopped, supporting himself against the island counter as his face contorted in pain. He tried sucking in a breath, but the heavy weight on his chest didn't seem to budge. He grunted in pain, sinking to one knee and clutching at his chest with both hands. His eyes were nearly bulging out of his skull as he wheezed and croaked through the agony. What was only a few minutes felt as if it lasted for hours, but slowly the discomfort began to subside.

Vegeta swore under his breath as he drank in deep heavy gulps of air. Slowly he stood and walked out of the kitchen to a mirror that hung as decoration in the next room. He was pale and sweaty, but otherwise looked fine. He danced around the idea that he might have just had a heart attack, but ultimately thought the idea was ridiculous considering who he was. Heart attacks were for old people. People who don't exercise. Right?

Vegeta shook his head. It wasn't worth it to dwell. Whatever happened was over and now it was time to move on.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, immense pressure sank down on his chest. Vegeta gasped for air like a fish out of water. He was on his knees before he realized it, and soon enough doubled over on the ground writhing in agony. He tried to think of what to do but was in too much pain. Should he seek help from the Earth doctors? They could at least give him medication to alleviate the pain while Bulma actually investigated. While Saiyans and Earthlings were very similar, it was better to get advice from an expert. He then remembered Kami, the little Namekian on the lookout. Vegeta picked himself up with levitation and headed for the door, fumbling with the handle for a moment before limping off into the morning sky


	2. Chakras

"Should I be concerned?" The younger Namekian asked, glancing up at Piccolo who stood with the same stoic expression and arms crossed in front of his chest as always. He scrutinized the air in front of him, sensing the feeble energy of Vegeta slowly coming their way.

"No, no need. He's probably only here for a Senzu bean." Piccolo dismissed flippantly, nevertheless intrigued by what might have happened to Vegeta to make him fly all the way to Kami's lookout.

The two waited patiently for the Saiyan to finally make it to the platform only to watch in shock as he collapsed, almost naked, to the ground. The two glanced at each other, equally confused before Dende ran over to help.

"Are you alright, Vegeta?" The young Namekian asked, kneeling next to the man.

"Do I look alright to you?" He shot back vindictively, his glare like daggers. Dende recoiled at the intensity, looking to Piccolo for help.

"That's no way to ask someone for a favor." The elder stated, making no move to go to his aid. Vegeta groaned, both from his insufferable situation, and from the sudden pain in his chest. As the intensity radiated out from his chest and throbbed into his left arm, Vegeta could no longer contain the scream of pain.

Dende ignored the man's bad attitude and figured ridiculing Vegeta for his temper was like trying to make a fish learn to walk on land. He raised his hands above the Saiyan and called upon his healing powers, losing himself in the sensation as he tried to search through the man to find the problem. Dende struggled for a bit, his exertion evident on his face, and lowered his hands in disbelief.

"I'm not sure what's wrong with him." He mused, dumbfounded.

"Aren't you some magical healer? Heal me already!" Vegeta barked impatiently, but Dende ignored him as he spoke to Piccolo.

"I couldn't sense anything physically wrong with him. However, when I tried to discern the eb and flow of his spirit, I couldn't seem to navigate through!" He stated incredulously. Piccolo raised an eyebrow at him.

"What does that mean?" The elder asked.

"Well, I've actually been reading a lot into Hindu spiritual remedies. There are some really great books I think you would also enjoy…"

"Get to the point!" Vegeta interrupted through another vault of pain.

"Sorry! Yes!" Dende apologized, realizing he was distracting himself. "Yeah, so, in Hindu culture, there are points of the spirit called chakras, and if they're imbalanced you can show signs of physical illness. And, without proper spiritual care, you can end up with some serious problems. Now, with most people I can navigate their minds as easily as navigating their bodies, assuming under ideal situations. Like if someone has too many stress knots or swelling I get bogged down when trying to heal…"

"Spit it out already!" Vegeta Roared.

"Sorry! I, uhm, I'm not an expert on chakras, but I can try my best!" He squeaked out.

Dende set to work trying to undo the disorder of Vegeta's mind enough to make it something he could work with. Vegeta slowly began feeling like himself again, breathing a little easier and eventually being able to sit up straight. After several minutes Dende lowered his hands and exhaled deeply.

"How does that feel?" He asked sincerely. Vegeta opened and closed his left hand, still not a hundred percent, but certainly getting there.

"A little more should do the trick." He replied and waited expectantly.

"I'll try, but I don't think I'll be able to return you back to normal. The mind is complicated and not easy to mold as you please. It needs to be trained in other ways, like meditation, art, and philosophy."

Vegeta grumbled something in annoyance under his breath.

"Wow," Dende commented, having to strain a little harder, "your chakras are just so disorganized. It's no wonder you're in so much…"

Pain. Agony. Blood oozing from him shoulder. Blood pooling in his mouth. He couldn't feel his legs.

Whatever you do, save the prince!

Bright light directly in his eyes. The smell of fire filling his nostril. The taste of blood drowning him.

Dende yelped and suddenly found himself sitting in a daze several feet from Vegeta, who was also staring at him in bewilderment. The prince almost immediately composed himself, the same glower set in his face as he began to stand.

"Thank you for the treatment. I'll be on my way." He stated over his shoulder, walking for the ledge. Dende blinked a few times.

"Wait! You're not healed yet! If you go out there it'll just keep happening!" Dende yelped out, having rushed over to the Saiyan and was now gripping his wrist. Vegeta glared at the little green hand, and then down at the little green man.

"Please! Human medicine isn't going to cure you, and neither is surgery!" He continued, a hint of desperation in his eyes. Vegeta sized up the younger, remembering the circumstances in which they'd met and relaxing just ever so slightly.

"Fine. What do you have in mind." Vegeta stated, turning to fully face the young Namekian. Dende's face lit up, not at all expecting Vegeta to listen to him.

"How about we start with some meditation?" Dende offered with a smile. Vegeta weighed his options. Sit through a dumb meditation exercise? Or go home and possibly experience another heart attack? He considered the two for a moment before he remembered something.

"Are you sure this isn't the same disease Kakarot had just before we faced the first two androids?" Vegeta asked, folding his arms.

Dende's expression sank just a touch and he shook his head. "I'm afraid not. This isn't anything I've dealt with before. I've never seen someone's mind so isolated. I'm sure meditation will help, even if it is one step at a time."

Vegeta scoffed and began heading towards the building.

"Before we begin, I do have something I'd like to add." Piccolo suddenly interjected.

"Yeah? And what could that possibly be?" Vegeta bit out, turning just in time to have a pile of fabric hit him in the face.

"Put those on, you shameless monkey."

A blood vessel suddenly became prominent on the Saiyan's temple as he clenched his hands into fists. Vegeta was just about to let loose a barrage of insults when his hand flew to his chest and he was on the ground once more writhing in agony.

"That was uncalled for." Dende chided as he rolled up his sleeves and knelt next to the Saiyan once more.


	3. Reminiscing

Vegeta's eye twitched in agitation. He felt on itch on his butt, but when he went to scratch it he was smacked once again on the back of the head by the large Namekian.

"Focus." Piccolo instructed, earning a piercing glare from the Saiyan.

"This is stupid. How am I supposed to focus with you looming over me like that?" He asked vehemently. Dende was the one leading the meditation exercise and Piccolo was in charge of keeping Vegeta on task. The large green man remained as stoic as ever and Vegeta conceded that he was fighting a useless battle. He was here of his own volition, seeking help on a subject he knew very little about with results that were obviously working. It didn't make sense to fight his way through it and with that understanding he turned to face forward once again, closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply.

"That's it, slowly. Breathe in and breathe out. Imagine a balloon slowly inflating and deflating, inflating and deflating."

Vegeta held back a rude comment and figured the quicker he could open these chakras or whatever, the quicker he could go back to training.

"Alright, first chakra. It's located at the base of your tailbone and represents sense of security and belonging." Dende began in a soft and calming tone as Mr. Popo moved about the two, lighting incense and candles.

"Well that's damn a shame, isn't it?" Vegeta bit out, irritated and Dende quickly realized why.

"Oh, uh, my apologies. I meant where the tail attaches to the base of the spine. I wonder if there are more chakras for those with tails? But then yours was cut off so I wonder if they were severed and maybe that's where your stress is coming from…"

"Get on with it." Vegeta ordered and Piccolo cleared his throat, reminding the man to behave.

"Right, right. So, uhm, take a slow deep breath and hold it."

The two gradually inhaled and Vegeta did his best to clear his mind as he filled his lungs to their maximum capacity and held it. He listened to the serenity of the lookout, as the wind gently breezed across the main building and softly rustled the leaves of the trees. He heard Mr. Popo finish lighting the last candle and tuck the matches into his pocket before taking a seat next to Dende and joining them with their meditation.

"And exhale slowly."

The three let out a deep breath at once and Vegeta was happily surprised to feel just a little bit relaxed.

"Alright, the first chakra is the root chakra and represents the foundation of your life. Think of your home, your family, the food on your table, and the activities that keep you busy. Another deep inhale and hold it."

Vegeta breathed in and thought about his life now. He remembered when he first came to the planet and was given room and board at the Brief's estate. It was no where near the largest or most imposing building he'd ever been in, but it was certainly somewhere easy to call home. He remembered when he stole the space pod and set out to train and become even stronger. He hadn't stayed long the first time, opting to go somewhere significantly more isolated than a giant mansion filled with displaced Namekians. He remembered having a single feeling of regret, and that was leaving Bulma behind. However, he was certainly much too hot headed to ever realize that was the source until years later. Up until then he'd denied any kind of romantic feelings for any being, knowing it was all too easy to lose yourself and do something stupid when driven by something as useless as emotional attachment. He'd seen too many people die because of this fault and had refused to be one of the same suckers. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he let out the air he'd been holding when he heard Dende give the order.

"That was good, and I can feel that you're just about to unlock your first chakra, Vegeta. One more inhale, and think about your basic survival needs and how they're met."

Vegeta did as he was told and sucked in a deep breath. He thought about the Brief's compound and Bulma's parents. How much they relied on one another and how he looked up to them in admiration since they were able to live such ordinary lives, yet also accomplished so much. How they raised their daughter and now how they helped raise their grandson. Despite how little they'd interacted with him, he felt at ease with Bulma's family, and especially the heiress. He remembered coming back to Earth from his training, seeing Bulma for the first time again and being filled with stupid emotional thoughts that made him want to dig a hole and burry himself alive in it.

When finally instructed, Vegeta released his breath and sat up a little straighter, feeling a twinge of electricity shoot up his spine and end in his skull. He blinked his eyes open and stared down at his hands in amazement. Ever since he first landed at the lookout, they'd been shaking ever so slightly, but now they were rock steady, and he felt his mind clearer than ever.

"How do you feel?" Dende asked, noticing the Saiyan's response to the meditation.

"Incredible." He mused, stretching his arms above his head.

"That's good to hear! I think we'll be done with these next six chakras by the end of the day for sure!"

Vegeta balked. "Six? There are six more of these blasted things?" He asked incredulously, his mood falling when he realized he was going to be here forever.

"Yes. It isn't safe to stop either. With how spiritually imbalanced you are you could end up severing your link forever and live the rest of your life in unbearable pain."

Vegeta considered both sides for a moment, deciding whether it was worth it or not. He came to his senses eventually though and realized it was better to waste an entire day with this crap than to go back and try to fix it himself. If he'd learned anything over the past several years it's that you can't do everything yourself and sometimes it's better to go out of your comfort zone than to just give up. After all, the worst that could happen was needing help from a couple of Namekians who he could easily beat in a fight. Vegeta groaned in irritation but accepted his situation.

"Continue." He growled under his breath, recrossing his legs and sitting up straight. Dende beamed with excitement as Vegeta closed his eyes and waited for the guardian of Earth to speak.

"Okay, the next chakra is the sacral chakra. It has to do with new people and new experiences. Think about the new people in your life and what they contribute. Focus on your lower body because that's where this chakra is located."

Vegeta took another deep inhale and tried to think of the new people in his life. There really weren't any, maybe the rug rats since he hadn't spent a whole lot of time with them. Usually when Goten was over for a playdate, Vegeta was far away so he couldn't be disturbed by how rowdy and annoying they could get. He thought about his son and how he'd walked out on him and Bulma when Trunks was just a baby. He felt like there wasn't a single thing in his life he could regret more than that terrible choice.

Vegeta cringed when he felt a sharp pain in his lower back. He grimaced and realized a mistake he'd made. He'd gotten so comfortable in this life that he immediately considered it the only one he'd lived. It hadn't been long, but it certainly was a greater impact than the first few decades of his life. Maybe it was because Frieza was dead and his empire had crumbled? In a way, everything around him was brand new in his life, never experienced before. Yet his first instinct was to disregard his entire past life and sweep it under the rug.

This must be what the young Namekian meant.

Vegeta grimaced as he felt another shot of pain in his midsection.

"And exhale slowly." Dende instructed, his calm voice breaking through Vegeta's thoughts. "Now, I need you to clear your mind, don't think of anything. Just focus on your breathing. When you inhale count to eight, and when you exhale count to five."

The prince did as he was told and felt a small reprieve just before he found himself toppled on his side, clutching his stomach.

"Vegeta?" Dende gasped and knelt beside him.

"Leave him." The gruff voice of Piccolo stated and Dende glance up at him in confusion.

"But he's in so much pain." The guardian of Earth observed.

"You said so yourself not to interrupt the process. We need to help him through without disrupting it."

Dende eyed him hesitantly before nodding.

"I can at least ease the pain." He offered, scooting to sit just above Vegeta's head and held out his hands. A warm buzz flowed through his veins and the Saiyan was able to just barely open his eyes.

"Concentrate, Vegeta." Piccolo stated. "You have to open the chakra. Meditate on the thoughts that are poisoning your mind."

Vegeta shouted and curled in on himself.

" _Sir, unfortunate news from Lord Frieza. Planet Vegeta was struck by a large asteroid today and destroyed."_

Dende blinked and found himself standing somewhere dark and silent, save for the single conversation going on before him. A child sat was sitting on a rock turned away from him, calm and peaceful. The guardian of Earth took a step forward, about to ask what was going on when he suddenly recognized the hairstyle in front of him. It was Vegeta as a young boy. His tail was wrapped around his midsection and his armor was different, but no doubt in front of him was the young prince of Saiyans. Dende blinked again. Planet Vegeta destroyed?

"And? You're sure?"

Dende couldn't believe his ears. They sent word of his entire planet's destruction over a scouter's transmission? He felt a sudden pang of loss he realized was resonating from Vegeta's memories.

" _Yes, I'm sure. Lord Frieza sends his sympathies and regrets. As of now, you are the only known survivor."_

Dende caught himself before he could collapse to one knee. The only survivor? The only one of his race? What about his father? His father's council? And where was Frieza when this asteroid struck? What happened to the planetary defenses, how could something so easy like a rock flying through space wipe out the greatest warrior race in all the universe!

"Oh? Really?"

Calm and reserved. Dende shuddered. He didn't look any older than five years old, and yet, from these memories, Vegeta was already cunningly deceptive.

" _Would you like to send a reply, sir?"_

A hundred ideas raced through Dende's mind from the inner recesses of Vegeta's thoughts. Tell him he's next. Tell him you see through his façade. Tell him he can't hide behind his wall of expendable soldiers forever. Tell him when I come for him there will be nowhere to run.

"No. No reply."

" _Very well, sir. Over and out."_

Dende let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding and suddenly felt a tremendous amount of rage emanating from all around him. The Namekian cowered and took a step back, his foot brushing against something and when he looked down he nearly shrieked.

A severed arm. Directly next to a severed head. And as he followed the trail of body parts, he found mounds of corpses. Blood oozed and dripped down the enormous pile, pooling together onto the floor and trickling away like a stream. Faces forever stuck in expressions of horror and anguish, eyes staring into an empty void and mouths hanging open in never-ending screams. Dende pried his gaze away and glanced back at the child only to find him facing his direction with a look of feral anger in his eyes. Dende shriveled back, wondering if Vegeta could see him just before the Prince took off flying. He wasn't sure what the young Saiyan was up to, and he knew he didn't want to know. Especially since he had taken off in the direction of a cluster of life forces.

Dende gasped and his eyes flew open. He realized with great relief that he was back on the lookout, collapsed on the ground much like the familiar Vegeta he knew. He sat up and shook his head as Vegeta also slowly began to sit up.

"Is everything alright, Dende?" Piccolo asked, offering his hand. Dende nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But what about…" Dende was suddenly cut off by an angry glare.

"Stay out of my head." He growled low and menacing. Dende sputtered.

"I didn't mean, I mean, it just kind of happened…"

"If you know what's best for you, you'll stay away." Vegeta warned, standing shakily to his feet.

"Vegeta, I didn't mean…"

But it was too late. Vegeta took off flying from the lookout, headed far away and too fast for Dende to be able to keep up. Not that he'd been able to try with Piccolo holding him back. When he glanced up, the elder only shook his head.

"It's better to let him go. We can keep an eye on him anyways."

Dende sighed, but nodded, and decided to continue with his own meditation exercises.


	4. Mutiny

Vegeta flew until he could no long stand the ache in his chest and landed in an uninhabited part of the desert. He collapsed on his hands and knees, trying to steady his breathing and think of something other than the pain. He glanced around and thought the place looked somewhat familiar. Kind of like where he'd first landed on Earth and fought Kakarot and the others. Of course, he learned there were many sections of Earth that looked like that place and he couldn't remember exactly where it had been.

Where Nappa had been killed.

He had never known a Saiyan to profess any sort of emotion other than rage and other negative feelings. They killed because they were told, they killed because they were hungry, they killed because they were bored. All his life Vegeta had been surrounded by death, but he was honestly starting to wonder how much of it had been Saiyan heritage versus Frieza's influence. He'd always been told that Saiyans were blood thirsty murderers, but he wondered if they had been selected in a way that made them what they were.

So many other civilizations had evidence of the rise and fall of wisdom, the Earthlings had it in just about every culture. He wondered if there was a point in Saiyan history that included some kind of Renaissance. Some kind of enlightenment. Anything that proved they were more than just mindless killers. After all, he was here. He was professing stupid sentimental feelings to his woman as well as his offspring. And look at Kakarot, that goofy idiot just can't shut up about the good times in life. Wasn't there more to life than death?

Vegeta sat cross legged once again and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. What had the little Namekian said? That's right, new people and new experiences. Vegeta exhaled bitterly.

He sat up straight and concentrated. The last thing he'd tried recalling was the day he learned his planet was destroyed. Yeah, talk about new experiences…

He quickly silenced his inner commentary and thought harder. He thought about the isolation he felt until he learned Nappa and Raditz had survived as well. He thought about the way he'd been treated by fellow officers in Frieza's ranks, how'd he'd always been singled out by others who were bigger and assumed they were tougher than him. He remembered how quickly he had to learn to protect himself and to never leave his back unguarded. How even his own men were willing to leave him for dead if it meant saving their own skins.

Many years ago, the three Saiyans had been sent to some new planet to examine the mineral contents and assess the possible profits to be had. The dominant species was reported to be just entering the farming age with no conceivable way of being a threat. The only thing troubling about the reports was the inconsistences between each visiting team before they went off to their next mission. Vegeta and his team were then sent to scout the area and come up with the final numbers before it was harvested and sold to the highest bidder. When they landed Vegeta couldn't help feeling something sinister in the air.

The three Saiyans stepped out of their space pods and surveyed the area, Raditz, 11, giving it a bored eye, Nappa, 30, searching with his scouter for life forms, and Vegeta, 8, studying the area for the threat he was sure was there. They had another party with them, the grunt laborers who had arrived first in a cargo ship that were there to do the main calculations while Vegeta's team silenced the locals.

"Nappa, what does your scouter say?" Vegeta barked in command, glaring off into the distance at some unseen threat.

"The largest life force seems to be a staggering 320 on the power level scale. Pretty strong for such a backwater planet, but nonetheless no match for any of us." He stated reassuringly. However, Vegeta wasn't impressed with the explanation.

"I want teams taking samples every thousand miles along both the latitude and longitude lines, and to be back by sunset tomorrow. Report any strange occurrences. Raditz will lead the excursions. Dismissed."

Raditz balked at the order, knowing the assignment was given to him just so Vegeta wouldn't have to bother with it. He wanted to say something but knew the kid had him beat in any contest of strength, and that's all that mattered out here in the middle of space. He stalked off and yelled at the grunts to get a move on and they better be back by sunrise if they wanted to go home.

"What's the matter, Prince Vegeta?" Nappa asked, knowing something had the younger spooked.

"There's something weird about this planet and I'm going to figure it out."

Nappa and Vegeta headed in the direction of the most densely populated town. The young prince figured if something odd was going to happen, it would be somewhere near the closest thing to civilization there was.

When they landed, the local population hardly even took notice. Nappa didn't seem to be bothered, but Vegeta couldn't help wondering why a race of red people with four arms, horns, and tusks weren't even the slightest bit interested in the Saiyans. Not only that, but it seemed whoever tried guessing the intelligence level of these people was seriously mistaken. The streets were cobbled, the houses were built from stone, lean legged bovines pulled carriages along the roads, the people were wearing woven clothing, and the list went on. He frowned and the two began walking through the streets until they were eventually stopped by someone who had an idea about why they were there.

"Soldiers of Lord Frieza! We welcome you to our planet! Please, this way."

They followed the local to a large building with a sign engraved above the grand entrance that probably read "Town Hall" or something along those lines.

They entered the ornately decorated building with marbled floors, stained glass, painted ceilings, and gilded fixtures. Vegeta narrowed his eyes, but nevertheless followed their guide. They were led through another grand door into an office type room with a beautifully carved wooden desk at the center and what looked to be the person in charge of this up-and-coming bustling town.

"Welcome to our planet! You're right on time, I was just drawing up designs for the trade agreement we were being promised from Lord Frieza. He's doing well I presume?"

Vegeta's cold glare didn't waver as he regarded the being in front of him. "Trade agreement? I didn't hear of any such discussion."

The creature blinked and began sizing up the young Saiyan as well.

"Is that so? Then what brings you to my planet?"

Vegeta dropped the ghost of a smile that was beginning to carve into his lips. His planet? It was certainly rare for one individual to oversee an entire planet. Especially as large as this one with city states spread all over.

"You would be wise to choose your words carefully." Another red creature remarked off to his side. Vegeta's eyes didn't move from the creature behind the desk when a cruel smile suddenly split across his face from ear to ear.

"We've come to kill and sell this planet. You and your people have one week to vacate the premise before we begin excavating minerals whether you're here or not."

The room fell silent and Vegeta could sense Nappa's disapproval. The one in charge began to laugh.

"You can't be serious. Where is Lord Frieza? I wish to speak to him, not some child." The creature stated firmly.

"This violates our truce, and if he recalls what happened last time he would be wise to reconsider." Another creature continued speaking, as if finishing its leader's thoughts.

"I will spare you for the moment, but you would be wise not to threaten me any further." A third creature concluded from behind the two. Vegeta glanced between the planet's inhabitants.

"What is this? What's going on with you?" He asked in confusion before he found himself pinned to the ground with one of the red creatures towering over him. Vegeta yelped in surprise when it roared and attached its face to one of his ears, clamping down and using its tongue to burrow into his ear canal. He screamed at the invasion before blasting it off himself, jumping to his feet and shooting anything large and red with more energy blasts. He panted heavily, surveying the area and pleased when all of them were dead.

"Nappa, get up, we're going." He ordered as the large man pushed one of the creatures off himself.

"What the hell are these things?" The man asked wildly, glad he hadn't gotten one of the face suckers Frenching his own ear.

"It's likely a hive mind. All these things are being controlled by a single creature. It seems to assimilate more beings by injecting its saliva into the brains of its victims."

Nappa gagged at the thought as the door behind them swung wide open. The young prince grinned menacingly before springing into action. He used his energy blasts to blow holes in his enemies, watching the bodies crumple and slump lifeless on the floor. He chuckled, only using a single finger to inflict so much death. The thought made him giddy and soon enough he was flying straight through the exit and cackling like a madman.

Decorated suits of armor lined the walls of the entryway and Vegeta couldn't help flying over and relieving one of the suits of its battle axe. He gripped the handle in both hands and swung it around just in time to lodge it into the abdomen of one of the creatures. He was disappointed in how dull the blade seemed to be, but if he wanted to hack people into pieces he would just have to swing it harder.

The armor crashed to the ground behind him and the feral gleam in his eye twinkled when more creatures began rushing him. Vegeta swung the axe above his head and brought it down to split one of his foes completely in two from head to bowels. Blood sprayed all over the prince, but still his adversaries advanced. He swung his weapon left, and then right, severing torsos from legs and lunging forward for more. Nappa eventually came into the room to find his prince surrounded by piles of corpses and laughing hysterically as he chopped them to pieces.

"Prince Vegeta." Nappa called out, hating to interrupt his fun. Vegeta growled, giving him a glare so deadly he thought he was about to get crudely chopped up as well. "Apologies, but it might be in our best interest to meet up with Raditz and the surveyors. If the creatures have stopped coming after us, they're likely targeting them."

Vegeta snarled and hurled his battle axe across the room where it lodged into the wall with a heavy thud. "Fine." He groused, hopping down from his pile of bodies and stalking off for the front entrance. He threw open the doors and took off into the sky, activating his scouter and locking onto the energy signal he knew was Raditz.

When he was within sight, he could see Nappa was right. Raditz was caught in the middle of a huge crowd, shooting creatures left and right as they swarmed him. The hive mind probably thought it could get its hands on Raditz and infiltrate Frieza's main base while wearing one of his soldiers as a meat suit. He refused to let any such thing happen though. If someone was going to kill Frieza, it was going to be him.

Vegeta landed and immediately got to work killing all the red creatures, blasting through them like his targets were made of paper. One caught him by surprise, however, when it wrapped its arms around him from behind which allowed several to gang up and start bludgeoning him with their fists. Memories of the last time he'd been caught raced through his mind, and before he could have another disgusting tongue in his ear he exploded his power from every point of his body and caused his adversaries to go flying across the ground.

He panted heavily, taking stalk of the situation when he heard a cry of help. Vegeta spun around to find Raditz being held down by three burly creatures as one of them latched onto his ear and Vegeta could easily guess what it was trying to do. The young Saiyan rushed over, using his shoulder to collide with the red creatures and blasting them full of holes when he got a clearer shot. Raditz collapsed to the ground in a daze, unsure whether he made it out of the situation alive or not until Prince Vegeta was kicking him and ordering him to get up and fight. He snarled but did as he was told and the two stood back to back against what looked to be a never-ending barrage of creatures.

Several minutes passed while the body count continued to rise into staggering numbers and Vegeta was beginning to wonder if they would ever finish all these things off. He activated his scouter to try and see if he could find an end to these guys and was relieved to see there weren't very many more coming to join the massive group that was already here. He saw a few stragglers rushing towards the fight and what looked to be a few of the surveyors huddled behind a tree several yards away.

"Pathetic" He muttered under his breath, blasting a hole through another head. Just then, he noticed the surveyors had gotten up and started running. The distraction earned him a right hook to his ear and when he killed his enemy he realized where they were running to.

"They're taking the main ship!" He called out, his mood dropping from hostile to murderous. While the Saiyans had arrived on the planet in their pods, those pods were currently docked at the large ship that had been left as an embassy for Frieza's men. Before he could say anything else though, Raditz had sprung into the air and flown off in the direction of the ship.

"You motherfuc…!" He was silenced mid swear with a large red fist to his nose, sending him tumbling backwards. Vegeta roared at the audacity, scrambling to his feet and meeting his attacker with a punch of his own that sent the creature soaring backwards, tumbling into his fellow species behind him. He smirked but instantly regretted his lack of focus on his surroundings when he was caught from behind again. Just as he was going to force himself free though, a fist collided with his temple and caused his vision to dance before him. Another fist in his gut made his eyes bulge from their sockets, and as he tried to catch his breath he got another punch in the jaw.

Vegeta could barely register it when hands began grabbing him and holding him in place. He hardly noticed when sharp teeth lodged into the side of his head but couldn't hold back a shriek of horror as he felt the familiar sensation of a warm wet tongue slithering into his ear. Each struggle gave him another fist in his gut until he was vomiting a frothy mixture of blood and stomach contents. He tugged away from the pain of what he assumed was the tongue breaking through his eardrum and sliding further into his inner ear.

"You belong to me, now." He heard a voice say, unable to tell whether it was spoken or somehow just played in his mind.

"You're going to be my new puppet, and you're going to take me directly to Lord Frieza!"

Vegeta screamed and pulled against the hands holding him down, hardly able to move despite how urgent his brain made it sound. A hand clamped over his mouth as the tongue pushed further inside and it was finally enough to make the prince snap. With all his power, he mustered enough concentration to ignite the energy beams in his palms and slice right through anything in their range. The hands released him as they were severed from their hosts and body parts tumbled over each other as they fell in chunks. Vegeta let out ragged breaths as he cleared the beings away from him, the beams slicing through them like a hot knife through butter. His stance suddenly changed as he looked on to a large group of them. He was standing at an angle with one foot far in front of the other in a wide stance, his hands lowered to his hip and just touching at the wrist. Vegeta smirked.

"That's right, just stand there," He began saying as he charged his attack. Energy began collecting between his hands while the wind around him blew in a frenzy. "And take my Saiyan wrath!"

With that the prince thrust his hands forward, blasting the energy in front of him and instantly decimating the group that was before him. When the dust cleared, there wasn't a single red being to be found. Vegeta stood tall and pressed the button on his scouter, confirming that they were indeed all taken care of.

Just then, to his right he heard someone land. "Prince Vegeta!"

The young Saiyan turned to find Nappa rushing up to him. "I tried to get here as quickly as I could, but it looks like you already took care of everything while I cleared out the city."

Vegeta scoffed. "Next time you'd better finish up a lot faster, if you know what's good for you."

Nappa saluted and apologized, but honestly, he was the least of Vegeta's anger. He turned and began walking towards the ship, contemplating all the ways he was going to kill the surveyors. And Raditz.

A few moments later inside the ship, Vegeta was standing on a chair with his hand wrapped around the throat of one of the grunt workers. To the men it would have been comical to see the prince needing a chair in order to give him added height. If one of their comrades wasn't currently being choked to death in the young Saiyan's grip, that is.

"Tell me again what your tasks are." Vegeta demanded, shifting his grasp in order to strangle the man he was holding even tighter.

"T-Take samples every thousand feet along the lines of latitude and longitude!" One of the men cowering on the ground squeaked.

"And when will you be finished?" Vegeta asked with an evil smile.

"T-T-T-Tonight! At sundown, your grace!" Another stammered out, tears streaming down his face.

"And then what will you do?" He asked, squeezing even harder and causing the man in his grasp to flail wildly.

"We will report back to base to finish our punishment!" They all cried out together, some bursting into hysterics. Vegeta dropped the man with a pleased look on his face, watching as he crumpled like a doll and gasped for air.

"And if you don't, the punishment will be significantly more severe. Dismissed."

The men scrambled over each other, shoving one another to get passed as they ran for their equipment. Vegeta watched with delight as they nearly trampled each other. Nothing like instilling fear in others to raise his spirits. Which reminded him…

Vegeta stepped down from the chair and turned to face his fellow Saiyan. When Raditz caught his eyes, he couldn't help feeling a slight rush of trepidation.

"Vegeta, I can explain. If I hadn't left we would have lost our ship, and…"

He was cut off when a thin bolt of energy suddenly whizzed by and pierced the edge of his arm, leaving a small divot in his bicep. Raditz dropped to his knee and grunted, but made no move to cover the wound.

"I commend you for saving the mission. If I'd needed to call Frieza's base, explain I couldn't keep control of my subordinates, allowed these piss ants to abandon the mission, therefore needed a rescue vessel to pick us up as well as a task force to hunt down and kill my mutinous crew, I would never have heard the end of it."

Another energy beam shot right through his bicep this time and Raditz shouted from the pain as his hand automatically moved to cover the wound.

"I can hear it now, Zarbon's pompous mocking laughter. Dodoria's unimaginative pea brained quips."

Another energy beam cleared a hole in his shoulder, knocking him back to land on his ass while involuntary tears pooled in the corners of Raditz's eyes.

"You did a great service. After all, what is a Saiyan without his pride?"

Another energy beam was fired from Vegeta's finger, this time into his other shoulder and Raditz shouted.

"But if you ever abandon your prince again, or disobey an order, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Raditz snarled and glared daggers at the younger Saiyan, but ultimately knew his place.

"Yes, sir."

~0~

Presently, Vegeta opened his eyes and found himself still sitting in the middle of the desert. He blinked, trying to recover from his flashback and shivering despite the heat.

No wonder that memory had been repressed, he thought as he used a finger to scratch his ear lobe. He stood, the pain in his chest at a minimum and he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere unless he knew what he was doing. He thought about his situation for a moment before he remembered something else Dende had said. He'd said that he could recommend Piccolo a book on chakras, which probably meant it was possible to get one for himself.

Vegeta picked himself up into the air and began flying in the direction of the city. He vaguely remembered where the library in downtown was. He went there once with Bulma and Trunks when they were doing some kind of read along, but had promptly left due to the vast amount of small children running around. He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with such a thing again as he sped off through the sky.

~0~

A/N: Man, I wonder if I should change the rating on this…? I may be writing it as an excuse to write about blood thirsty child Vegeta. If any of you read Webtoons, I highly recommend one called Darbi. Just be ready for a whole lot of baby dinosaurs and a whole lot of blood.

Review! 3


	5. The Library

Bulma stepped out of the shower yawning. Normally she'd at least be somewhat energized after a nice hot soak, but that just didn't seem to be the case today. She'd been kept awake to unreasonable hours because of her work the past couple of weeks, but last night was different. Instead of being met with a simple, perfectly made California king sized bed waiting to take her to sleepy town, she'd found a certain Saiyan prince prowling around waiting for a snack. So instead of a long awaited night with plenty of sleep, she'd been kept up to unreasonable hours by Vegeta.

Not that she was complaining.

With how… detailed last night's escapades were, she was almost certain she'd get to wake up next to her husband, or at least convince him to wait another hour before he went training. But after he'd taken Trunks to bed he'd never come back, and she couldn't help pouting. Was she really such a second thought behind training? What was there to even train for anymore? Don't get her wrong, she _loved_ the bod, but sometimes she wished they could do normal cute couple things like falling asleep watching movies or hanging out and cuddling.

She giggled at the very idea of Vegeta doing either of those and knew it was a long shot. And she'd known that going into this relationship. Of course, when she'd first gotten pregnant she immediately accepted the thought of being a single mother. It's not like she would struggle in the slightest, and he was absolutely too hot headed to just drop everything, plant roots, and be the ideal father. She'd hoped he'd come back from his second training session in space, but never really expected him to. Even then, and even if he found out Trunks was his, she realistically didn't even consider he'd try acting as a father. She liked to dream about it, think about all the cute little domestic aspects of having a Saiyan Warrior Prince as her arm candy husband. But she knew it would be too painful to make that an expectation.

Honestly though, she had never been hotter for him than when he attempted to interact with his child the first time, back when they were fighting the false androids. It'd taken all of her will power not to just tell him to fly her back to her place and help make a second.

She blushed when she remembered she'd called him geeky and told him to stay away from Trunks because he made the baby cry. Oh well, she had him now. Despite the empty bed she'd woken up to. Bulma sighed and was just about to drop her towel to begin getting dressed when something suddenly appeared at her window. She glanced over and shrieked.

"Hi Bulma!" Came the cheery voice of Goku.

"W-What do you think you're doing peeping through my bathroom window? !" She shouted, slamming the curtains shut. All of a sudden, the bathroom door burst open and she shrieked yet again only to find Trunks ready for battle with his eyes closed.

"Mom! What's the matter, I heard you scream!"

"For the love of… get out!" She yelled, pushing him out of the door and slamming it. "And you! I'll meet you in the kitchen when I'm done with my shower! Don't you people know how to knock? ?"

True to her word, Bulma headed straight downstairs to the kitchen when she was dressed and ready, finding Goku and Trunks arm wrestling.

"I swear, one of these days I'm going to shoot you in the head and it's gonna stick." She muttered just loud enough for the elder Saiyan to hear.

"Come on, Bulma! I didn't mean any harm. Besides, how many times are you going to make me come back to life?"

Bulma couldn't help chuckling at that as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"So, what brings you here? I don't know where Vegeta is but I'm guessing he's out by his precious gravity chamber." She stated with a bit of contempt in her voice. Trunks suddenly thrust forward and pinned Goku's arm to the table, calling out in excitement.

"Wow, you sure have gotten strong." Goku stated, limply waving his hand in the air as if the boy had sincerely managed to hurt him. Trunks smiled bright. Goku ruffled his hair which earned him an even bigger grin. "Hey, would it be alright if just me and your mom talked?" Goku asked, earning a confused look from the boy. He glanced over at his mom to see that even she was surprised.

"Um, sure." He responded, hopping down from the table and heading off to his room. Bulma turned to him.

"Is… everything alright?" She asked, concern evident in her tone. Her long-time friend didn't respond for a moment. Instead of speaking, he turned to the pencil and piece of paper she only just realized were sitting in front of him. It took a moment, and his hand writing was as terrible as ever, but when he turned it for her to see, her heart nearly stopped.

She wanted to scream, or shout at him, but her motherly instincts reminded her of her son's incredible Saiyan hearing and unrelenting snoopiness.

"I know where we can go talk."

Bulma shut the door to the gravity chamber, already having checked the controls five times to make sure it wouldn't suddenly turn on. She was clumsy enough in Earth's regular gravity pull, she didn't need to make it worse. When she turned the lock, she took another moment to make sure it was completely shut and sound proof before turning on her heel and shoving her finger in Goku's face.

"You wanna explain yourself?" She shouted, holding up the note and pointing to it. Goku held up his hands defensively. He could see the tears in her eyes and knew he had to be a lot more careful.

"I mean, I don't know for sure, it's just a feeling I've had all morning. And when I felt his energy spike on Kami's lookout, I just couldn't ignore it anymore." He offered, taking a seat on the floor and relaxing.

"You come over to my house, interrupt my morning, give me this note, and tell me it's all just a hunch?" She screamed at him, wadding up the paper and throwing it at him. She stood there for a moment, panting from the amount of rage she was exerting before her expression finally slumped into something lost and hopeless.

"Dying? He's dying?" She asked pathetically, sinking to her knees as tears welled up in her eyes. Goku sighed.

"Now, I'm not completely certain. And maybe it's something he can recover from, I dunno. Maybe it's because we're the last full blooded Saiyans, but there's a link between us I've felt the longer I've spent on Earth. It sounds cheesy, and I'm sure he'd give me quite the bump on the head for even suggesting it, but I'm sure he's felt it too. And now it just feels like he's… slipping. This morning at around five is when I felt it. Like Vegeta is fading. When he was on the lookout tower though, it seemed to slow down. But then suddenly it sped up and that's why I came here. I was hoping to meet him here."

Bulma had large tears streaming down her cheeks and Goku felt exceptionally awkward since he didn't have the faintest clue of what to do. Bulma sniffled and attempted to wipe up her face when something suddenly came to her mind.

"But wait, why do you think he'll come here?" She asked, eyeing him skeptically. Goku shrugged.

"Dunno. He was flying back this direction a while ago. He stopped over in the desert for a bit, but when I sensed him coming out here I just assumed he was coming back home. It's been a while though and he still hasn't shown up so I'm getting kind of worried."

Bulma blinked and then narrowed her eyes.

"But then, where is he? My husband is dying and he's not even here for me to help?" She demanded, fury in her eyes. Goku held up his hands defensively again.

"I'm not sure, he's been flying around the city for a bit and I haven't been downtown in a while, so I can't tell you what he's up to."

Bulma jumped to her feet. "Take me to him, right now!"

~0~

Vegeta walked through the automatic doors to the library and glared at the enormous number of books before him, going all the way to the second floor and what looked like the third.

And fourth.

And fifth.

And…

Vegeta grumbled a few profanities under his breath and walked though, figuring there should be some kind of directory around here. There was a sign next to a large desk giving a brief description of each of the ten floors, but even that wasn't helpful. However, he noticed that just over the top of the desk was someone's head peeking out like they were either really short or bent over. He walked up to the front desk and cleared his throat at the girl sitting behind it. She glanced up and smiled bright, hurriedly shutting the book in front of her that she probably wasn't supposed to be reading and awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Good morning! How can I help you?" She asked cheerily. She wore large, round glasses and had long, wavy brown hair with a crown made from fresh flowers sitting on top of her head. Her wardrobe was earthy colors, her earrings were feathers, and her necklace was a leather strap tied to a jar with a blue crystal inside of it.

"Books on chakras. Where are they."

And with those simple words, the girl's eyes lit up like magic.

"Of course! This way!" She practically sung, coming around the counter and grabbing Vegeta's hand. The prince was about to protest only to be dragged by the surprisingly strong girl over to the elevator.

"Just to warn you, but I'm an expert on sensing chakras and all things to do with spirituality. It's been a specialty of mine for quite a while now and all of my friends would say that I am the go to girl of the spirit world! I do all kinds of spirit cleanses and for a small price I can even come to your house! If you're looking for spirit items I can tell you all the best places…"

Vegeta frowned, wondering about the insurmountable odds he could have possibly walked into a situation like this. The elevator dinged, and they got on together.

"to buy stones and charms and healing waters. Oh, wait! Don't tell me! You're a Taurus aren't you! I can just tell because you SO look like an Earth sign! And you just seem so grounded and practical. Has anyone ever told you that? I bet you get it all of the time. An interest in chakras, huh? Are you just starting to pick up the practice? What interests you? Is it the spirituality? Being able to be connected to all of those around you and the Earth and the stars…"

The elevator dinged again, and they got off. The girl led the way, maneuvering the rows of books like she lived here. And judging by her attire and mannerisms, Vegeta was sure that wasn't a far stretch.

"and the moon. There's just so much to life, you know? So much depth-and perspective. It's-crazy-to-think that people are-just living life-around you, coming-and-going-all-people living-their-own-existences- and-their-own-stories. Did-you-know-that-there-is-always-at-least-one-person-who-knows-something-you-don't-know-itsjustsocrazy-to-think-thatwereallso-similar-yetcompletely-differentandhavecompleteindividuality…"

"Thank you, that will be enough." Vegeta interrupted, his arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently. The girl went bright red.

"Yes, of course! I'm so sorry, silly me! Once I get started I just can't seem to stop!" She giggled nervously "Sometimes my girlfriend just has to sit me down and say Melissa! Get it together!" She lightly knocked her fist against her head and continued to ramble as she started walking away. "I'm glad I could help you find what you were looking for and wish you the best on your spiritual journey!"

And with her arm waving over her head like he was a mile away, she was gone. Vegeta sighed bitterly, thankful to be left in peace until he turned to look at the shelf in front of him.

There were so. Many. Books. Vegeta's mouth fell open a tad and he suddenly regretted coming here. He didn't even know where to begin. And the worst part was, it wasn't even one shelf, it was the whole column. He glanced to the column next to this one and to his dismay THAT one was also filled top to bottom with books on spiritual healing!

Vegeta muttered something bitterly under his breath and marched away.

Melissa stood at the elevator door, waiting for it to come back up. She hummed a happy little tune to herself, excited to get back to the book she was reading and all around just happy about today. There seemed to be a lot of good karma going around and she smiled even brighter at the thought of it.

That is, until she heard a familiar deep voice clearing his throat just before a strong hand wrapped around her arm and began dragging her away from the elevator. She gave a yelp of protest before she realized who it was and instead lit up like an autumn scented candle as she stumbled to catch up.

Vegeta walked away from the main desk of the library giving a small smirk and a wave to Melissa who was enthusiastically waving goodbye to him. He'd negotiated with her to let him just take one book instead of the cartload she'd put together. When she described it, it sounded very promising and with that he felt ever so much more confident.

Vegeta was just about to leave the library when something caught his attention though. He stopped just at the door and turned.

Could it be? No…

He walked over to another door that led into a room decorated with baby designs and raised an eyebrow. There, reading to a bunch of children, was Gohan. Vegeta's eyebrow perked up even further when he realized Gohan was the type of person to read a children's book in different voices.

The door to the room was propped open so Vegeta took the invitation and sat down in one of the colorful chairs along with a few other moms. When he gave a fleeting glance in their direction, they were all staring at him, and a few of them weren't too shy with their eye contact either. Vegeta promptly faced forward and ignored all of them.

When the story finished, Gohan looked out at his audience and had to do a double take when he saw Vegeta sitting amongst the parents.

"Well, kids, that's all I've got for today. But I'm sure the next reader will have some fun stories for you!"

The kids all whined and begged him to stay and just read them one more story, but Gohan insisted and they sadly let him go.

"Vegeta, what are you doing here? Last I heard you wouldn't be caught dead near a read aloud."

Vegeta silently cursed his unyielding gossiping wife. Instead he just motioned with his head for Gohan to follow. The younger gave him a confused look but complied. When they left the children's room, Vegeta spoke up.

"You trained in the art of meditation under the Namek, correct?" He asked, to which Gohan became even more confused.

"Yeah, but uh, why the interest?" Gohan asked, catching up to walk beside Vegeta as they left the library.

"None of your business, boy." Vegeta retorted sharply. Gohan let out a little sigh.

"Vegeta, when are you going to stop calling me a boy?" He asked, not at all expecting an answer. Especially the one he was hoping to hear. Vegeta regarded him out of the corner of his eye.

"I've been having trouble clearing my mind." He offered simply and Gohan raised an eyebrow.

"I see. Well, yes, I still remember my training under Mr. Piccolo, but hearing it from the master is always better than hearing it from the student."

Vegeta snorted and started walking away.

"Wait, wait! I'm sorry, I'd be happy to. So, uh, when did you want to get started?" He asked, slightly regretting his choice to go along with whatever Vegeta had in mind.

"Right now."

And with that, the prince lifted off and flew into the sky, heading back in the direction of the desert. Gohan groaned.

"Vegeta! You know Bulma doesn't like it when we take off in public like that!" He called after the man, following suit right behind him.

~0~

A/N: quickly before writer's block takes another 3 years for me to post something! ALL THE POSTING!

Review please :D


	6. Adolescence

Gohan landed shortly after Vegeta, setting down on a plateau overlooking the rest of the desert. He waited a moment, wondering if the elder was going to make the first move, but instead he just continued to stand facing towards the cliff with his arms folded over his chest. Gohan took the few steps necessary to bring them within a companionable distance and spoke.

"So, did you have anything in mind?" He asked tentatively. Vegeta didn't respond for a moment and as Gohan was starting to grow impatient, the prince held out a book. Gohan took it.

"A Guide to Chakras?" He asked with an eyebrow raised, glancing at the other out of the corner of his eye. Vegeta grunted.

"I spoke with the little Namekian on the lookout. He believes whatever is responsible for my ailment has to do with these chakras, or whatever." He replied, not bothering to turn towards the half Saiyan. Gohan took a moment to ponder the book before flipping it open. He'd noticed a spike in Vegeta's life force earlier but had mostly chalked it up to his rigorous training regime.

"So then why do you need my help? I'm sure Dende is a lot more suited to teach this stuff."

Vegeta's glare narrowed. "Because I do not have the time nor the patience to decipher whatever ridiculous junk is written on those pages. You just happened to be nearby." He snapped and Gohan held a hand up in defense. He glanced back down at the pages and blinked in mystification. He half expected the book to be written in another language with how the other phrased his reply, but it wasn't. He was about to speak up when he suddenly remembered the Saiyan Prince's first language wasn't from Earth. Therefore, it only made sense that he wasn't terribly adept to reading any of its languages.

A question suddenly came to his mind.

"Wait, but if you can't read then how were you and the other Saiyans, and all other aliens for that matter, able to communicate with us?" Gohan thought back to the vast number of otherworld creatures he'd met and instantly understood without a second thought. If Earth had so many different languages, it would only make sense for the universe to have infinitely more.

"Don't insult me, boy. I can read your ugly complicated language. But certainly not as well as someone who's been fluent since a child." He spat back, giving Gohan a warning glare and causing him to shy away. "As for the speech, it's a trick more… advanced races use."

Gohan leaned back in to listen when he realized Vegeta wasn't going to smack him.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" He asked curiously. Vegeta grimaced and Gohan could've sworn the man turned a slight shade of green.

"There's a species of worm from a galaxy on the outer reaches of this quadrant. It has the transcendent ability to absorb and transmit any language into another."

Gohan's eyes widened. "You're kidding! How in the world does it do that!"

"How should I know?" Vegeta shot back. He let out a heavy breath, the tightness in his chest reminding him to calm down. "But it's a bloodsucker and takes a habit of burrowing its head into small, warm, slightly damp places."

Gohan put two and two together easily enough. "Like a person's ear?" he asked and Vegeta nodded. "So, it's pretty small huh. Like the width of a hair? The length of a fingernail?" Vegeta scowled.

"More like the size of the cockroaches you have on this planet. But soft and wriggly."

Both men shivered at the same time. "Wait, so you're telling me you had a big fat worm stuffed in your ear? And it was able to just… translate our language into yours?"

Vegeta shrugged. "I had it explained to me once, but I've forgotten. It's more like it was able to understand one being's implication and transmit it into an understanding for its host."

Gohan just stared in awe at the man. "And it just feeds off your blood while it does all this?" Vegeta nodded again.

"You had to be careful, otherwise it could start burrowing through your skull."

Gohan gave him a look of horror but didn't press any further. He turned to the book in his hand once again.

"Alright then, shall we begin with chapter one?" He asked simply, bending down to take a seat on the sandy ground with his legs crossed. Vegeta followed suit as Gohan opened the book.

"I've already unlocked the first chakra, so onto the next one."

Gohan flicked his gaze from the book to the full blooded Saiyan but said nothing as he pieced together the puzzle. Obviously, the man HAD gone to see Dende or Piccolo and probably had one of his famous temper tantrums. He returned his eyes to the book and flicked to the table of contents, and then to the chapter on the second chakra.

"The sacral chakra is located in the lower abdomen about two inches below the naval and two inches in. It relates to our ability to accept others and new experiences and can be thrown into turmoil under situations as simple as starting a new job or moving to a new place."

Gohan was confused as to why the prince was allowing him to sit here and read aloud a book about spiritual healing and finding inner peace. He didn't let his internal questions stop his rhythm though and continued reading.

"Also known as the sexuality and pleasure chakra, it is physically associated with… uhm, wait…" Gohan had to reread that line and couldn't help the dusting of pink on his cheeks when he realized he wasn't mistaken.

"What's the matter?" Vegeta demanded impatiently. Gohan swallowed.

"N-nothing!" He coughed lightly and continued. "It is physically associated with the reproductive organs, kidneys, bowels, and immune system."

Gohan swallowed heavily. Kami All Mighty, give me strength to get through this day…

"Complex issues associated with the disturbance of this chakra vary widely from a sense of abundance or lack thereof, wellbeing, pleasure, and sexuality."

Gohan closed the book. Not interested in having to go further while simultaneously fighting back intrusive thoughts based around Vegeta's sexual experiences. Ever since he was a young child he'd comprehended Bulma was a wild woman, but that didn't mean he wanted to have to picture something like that under any circumstance. Gohan cleared his throat.

"Alright, so let's begin then. First we're going to close our eyes and take a deep breath in."

Gohan was mystified about how easy it was to get Vegeta to do anything today. No fighting, no arguing… he was beginning to wonder what those fluctuations of energy he'd felt from the man really were.

"Meditate on your inner turmoil relating to the sacral chakra, such as instances meeting new people or new challenges, your personal wellbeing and… pleasure." Gohan had to compose himself on that last category and hoped to anything Vegeta wasn't here for sexual advice. His first time, and even his first kiss, with Videl had been enough to turn him into a withering tomato and he couldn't imagine he was the best person to seek advice from.

Vegeta took another breath in and focused on the spot in his abdomen Gohan had instructed. He could faintly sense the chaotic energy there binding and twisting in uncontrolled patterns. He tried to think of an instance relating to everything Gohan had said, searching hard in his mind until he found it and immediately felt sick to his stomach.

Bulma was far from the first sexual conquest he'd ever had in his life. Some situations he wasn't too proud to relive, and not because he'd ever needed to force himself onto someone, but because he realized they could be considered extraordinarily promiscuous based on some peoples' standards. He cleared his throat and instead brought himself back to the subject he knew was blocking this insufferable chakra.

She'd been a native to some grossly overgrown tropical planet on the other side of the galaxy. It was never meant to be more than a pitstop to replenish supplies, especially since the planet was already under the control of Frieza. The overlord had never found it in himself to sell the world though and instead used it as a huge farming community to obtain cheap food and water. The planet was overly abundant with any kind of harvestable supplies and so it had been nicknamed Eden.

Vegeta was thirteen years old and bored as the slaves worked to load and unload his spacecraft. Nappa and Raditz were off doing other normal boring things somewhere else while Vegeta had wandered off in search of adventure. It was insane the amount of oxygen this place seemed to have, and every breath made him more eager to pick a fight. The only inhabitants nearby were slaves however, and while he couldn't find it in himself to pity them, he also didn't want to fight someone broken under the tyrannical reign of Frieza.

He pushed through the undergrowth, unable to see anything above the canopy of trees and ignoring the stray droplets that constantly fell on his head. As far as he knew, any large predator had been hunted into complete extinction by Frieza himself to keep his property from being eaten.

Vegeta pushed aside some enormous leaves and was surprised to walk into a large clearing with a waterfall spilling into a crystal-clear natural pool. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, and he stood for a moment lost in thought until he realized he wasn't alone. He heard a gasp of air as someone surfaced in the middle of the pool, then lazily swam for a rock formation in the center of the water. It looked like a local inhabitant of the planet and Vegeta was just about to lose interest when they suddenly pulled themself from the water. Vegeta was surprised when his mouth ran dry as she lifted herself onto the rock, revealing her shapely and toned form. Her hair was long and dark, plastered to her back and trailing down to just above the curve of her ass. She used one of her strong muscly legs to boost herself the rest of the way onto the rock and stood up in full naked glory.

Vegeta couldn't help staring like an idiot as she deftly rung out her long hair. Her face was a basic oval shape with a dainty nose and mouth, yet puffy lips. Her eyes were large and glittery, and her eyebrows and eyelashes were dark and prominent enough for the prince to see from where he was. He tried to ignore his basic primal urges, but they got the best of him as he couldn't tear his eyes away from her voluptuous breasts, tightly toned abdomen, and thick round thighs. The species here was hairier than Saiyans (in their untransformed state) but he didn't mind the thick black hair encasing her lower legs and arms as it tapered off closer towards her torso to leave a bare chest and stomach.

The prince of Saiyans could hardly form a word in his mind as his brain fought to get him out of there or force him to make a move. When she glanced over and saw him though, her face dropped from thoughtful to livid. Vegeta suddenly realized he was in a lot of trouble when he noticed she'd disappeared from her rock and was suddenly in front of him with a hand wrapped around his throat, lifting him slightly from the ground.

"By the Goddess of Eden, I should slice open your belly and spill your entrails." She spat vehemently, her face twisted into a cruel scowl. Vegeta wasn't afraid though, he found the look oddly charming.

He slapped himself internally and forced his brain to come back to reality.

"Unhand me. By this armor you should know the consequences of your actions." He replied the best he could while still being choked. The young woman squeezed harder and snarled only to let him crumple to the floor gasping for air.

"Mindless cocksleeve of Frieza." She stated, spitting in his direction. Vegeta bristled at the words and shot to his feet. He was greatly disappointed to see that she was still a foot taller than him despite the boots he wore. He wanted to threaten her, demand respect, maybe even hit her until she remembered her place. Strangely though, he could only stand there with an angry glower. She took a step forward and he took a step back, bumping into a tree behind him. She reached out slowly, her hand moving for his neck and the prince allowed it. She placed her thumb over his Adam's apple, applying the slightest bit of pressure as she leaned in next to his ear.

"Dog of Frieza. Will your master really miss you?" She asked eerily, her breath tickling his ear. Vegeta pressed his head against the tree to try and escape her thumb.

"My name is Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans, Commander of the Delta Fleet, and Captain of a class five battlecruiser."

The information seemed to impress the girl just enough to move her thumb up his throat to no longer be an imminent threat.

"Well, Captain of Dogs, what brings you to the jungle slums of Eden?" Vegeta stiffened when he felt her other fingers trace along his collarbone and the top of his armor. He cursed himself when he felt a shiver run down his spine as her hand wandered further south to his abdomen just below his armor.

"Refueling." He bit out, not entirely sure why he was bothering to explain himself. It was obvious what he was doing here, and she seemed privy to what she was doing to him. She smiled sweetly, moving in closer with one hand caressing his jawline and the other on his waist. In the swampy mess of his mind, Vegeta couldn't help thinking there was something he was missing. Something Nappa had told him several years ago… something about not trusting the local women outside of a brothel.

However, his mind was wiped clean just before he could remember the elder Saiyan's words of advice as the girl leaned forward and captured his lips with hers. His eyes grew impossibly wide at the action leaving him completely frozen in place, his fixed gaze only breaking away when he realized she was reaching even lower for the bulge in his suit. He squirmed slightly, eliciting a sly smile from the girl.

"Such a shy Prince." She murmured into his ear, nibbling at the lobe. He glowered, taking her shoulders in his grip and thrusting her around until she was the one pinned to the tree and he was standing on a tree root, now staring directly into her eyes. Vegeta raised an eyebrow and couldn't help chuckling at her look of shock. He leaned forward and kissed her back, half expecting to be fended off and was surprised when her arms draped over his shoulders and she sighed into the kiss.

~0~

Vegeta pried his eyes open and willed his stomach to settle down. It had been so long since he'd voluntarily remembered her face, realizing it hadn't even been in his nightmares for probably more than ten years. Gohan was still meditating, his posture rigid and contained unlike Vegeta who was breathing laboriously with sweat dripping from his eyebrows. He wanted to hit something but had an understanding that it would do him no good. Instead, he closed his eyes once again and focused on his breathing. Slowly in, hold it, slowly out. Filling and emptying his lungs. Expanding and contracting. Like a balloon…

Vegeta crinkled his nose. He heard Gohan exhale and instead of opening his eyes, he pretended to continue meditating.

"Hey, Vegeta?" The young man asked. Vegeta grunted as a response, not caring if he wasn't fooling the other. "Do you remember when I was thirteen and my mom wouldn't stop calling Brief's Manor, begging for advice on adolescent Saiyans?"

Vegeta suppressed a grin, remembering very vividly the shrill dark-haired woman demanding him to do something about her out of control son. He'd eventually taken to hiding in the gravity chamber, but even then Bulma would find him. And if she was too busy, she would send her secretaries. The constant pestering hadn't been appreciated and he readily admitted to scaring away more than half of the staff on the premise over the years.

Gohan chuckled, "Yeah, I became a real pain, but I never told you how thankful I was for having you around as a guide."

Vegeta's mood dropped as he cracked open his eyes, not liking where this was going.

"After my dad died, I didn't think there was a single person that would understand what I was going through. Mom just wanted me to be a perfect scholar, but I kept having this internal turmoil I could never grasp, and it made me feel so crazy."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow and folded his arms.

"It comes with your Saiyan blood. You're from a warrior race, even if your blood is that of a low-class line."

Gohan chuckled. "Yeah, I got that eventually. But in the moment, being all by myself, it seemed impossible to get a grip, you know?"

Vegeta thought back to being thirteen, feeling like he knew everything. Oh, how wrong he'd been.

He grunted and closed his eyes again. As tough as he made himself out to be, and as obstinate as he'd been until Bulma threatened him with strict punishment, he remembered those sessions with Gohan fondly. The half blooded Saiyan had soaked up Vegeta's advice and teachings like a sponge, listening intently and asking all the right questions about his heritage. Honestly, he'd been impressed that an offspring this attentive came from Kakarot.

Vegeta closed his eyes, dropping his arms to his lap once more as he grunted in acknowledgement to Gohan. He steadied himself, and when he took a large breath in, he felt something click in his abdomen as a cool familiar bolt of electricity shot up his spine. When he opened his eyes, Gohan was staring at him perplexedly.

"Wow, you really have been stressed out, huh?" He remarked with a grin. Vegeta scowled and stood.

"Shut up." He muttered, holding no amount of malice behind his words.


	7. Self-Worth Self-Confidence Self-Esteem

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Bulma asked from the arms of her longtime friend.

"This is the direction I sense his power level, and it seems to have stabilized quite a bit." He remarked, suddenly recognizing something he hadn't expected. He must have made a strange face because Bulma spoke up.

"What is it? Is he okay?"

Goku grinned and slowed down just a touch.

"Yeah, he's fine. Seems like he's sparing with Gohan."

Bulma blinked in mystification. "Gohan? What are they doing out here?" She asked, not expecting an answer. They continued for a few more minutes before they finally made it to their destination and Goku landed gently, setting Bulma down. She stood straight and dusted herself off, then glanced around confused.

"Goku, where are they?" She asked impatiently, to which Goku pointed off in the distance and sure enough she found the two men sparring midair.

"For crying out loud, Vegeta!" She shouted the last part as loud as she could but received no response.

"VEGETA!"

She was going to shout again, maybe threaten him with an ultimatum, when she was interrupted by the Saiyan next to her suddenly powering up. She jumped back with a yelp, noting his blond hair and serious expression. She glanced over at the other two and was somewhat surprised to see they had stopped fighting and were on their way over, prompting Goku to drop his Super Saiyan transformation.

"Hey Vegeta, hey Gohan!" Goku greeted with a big smile.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Gohan asked. His father let out a nervous laugh and was cut off before he even had a chance to put two words together.

"Vegeta! What's going on! I wake up thinking I'm going to find my husband, and instead I hear you're dying?" She shouted, marching up to him.

"Whoa, what? ?" Gohan remarked, glancing between Bulma and Vegeta with wide eyes. Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

"Where did you possibly hear something as stupid as that?" He demanded, realizing before he even finished his sentence that stupid had brought her here. Vegeta snapped his attention to his fellow Saiyan.

"What business is it of yours to make ridiculous accusations like that, Kakarot?" He barked. Goku gave another chuckle, scratching at his nose. The Saiyan's eyes narrowed.

"No time to waste!" Bulma interrupted, pulling out a case of capsules and was just about the pop the lid when Vegeta clasped her hands in his.

"Put those absurd things away!" He stated, knowing without even reading the label those were her triage capsules meant for dire circumstances.

"Don't you go telling me what to do!" She retorted with venom in her tone, causing the man to loosen his grip. They glared at each other until Bulma eventually conceded, returning the case to her pocket and folding her arms.

"Then do you want to tell me what the hell's going on?" She demanded, softening her tone when she noticed an aura of exhaustion about her husband she only now seemed to notice.

Vegeta also folded his arms, casually glancing away.

"It's nothing to be concerned about." He griped, his eyes landing on Goku. "And you…" He trailed off before he had the chance to reprimand the other man further when he realized Goku found the book he'd gotten from the library.

"Chakras? What are those?" He asked sincerely, quickly flipping through the book. "Not very many pictures…" Goku muttered just before it was snatched out of his hands by a peeved Vegeta.

"None of your concern." The man growled as an answer, growing severely more irritated by his audience. Before he could find a moment of reprieve though, Bulma whisked the book from his grasp.

"Wow! This is just like that meditation class I took last month. It was very relaxing but filled with the weirdest of people." She remarked as she opened to the table of contents. The prince grumbled irritably. Gohan glanced between the three older adults, hoping things wouldn't escalate to dangerous matters.

"Vegeta said he was having trouble concentrating and asked if I could lend my time." He offered innocently, hoping this wouldn't explode into some huge conflict or shouting match. Not that he was worried, but whenever Vegeta was in an irritable fighting mood, it just seemed to set him on edge. The prince scoffed but accepted the younger's explanation.

"Concentrating? All he ever does is concentrate on his fighting." Bulma groused as she gently took a seat on the ground. Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked with a skeptical tone. He knew the answer, he just didn't want to believe it.

"What does it look like? I'm going to join you!" She stated matter-of-factly, flipping to the first chapter and beginning to read. Gohan relaxed a touch and joined Bulma on the ground.

"Actually, we've just moved onto the third one, the solar plexus chakra."

"Oh, I see." She flipped a few more pages and Vegeta groaned, knowing it was no use.

"Meditation? That's so boring!" Goku whined, folding his arms with a hint of a pout on his lips.

"I wouldn't think there was a single thing in your mind worth meditating on, Kakarot." Vegeta sneered, taking a seat beside his blue haired mate, against his better judgement.

"Come on Goku, it'll be fun!" Bulma encouraged with a smile. Vegeta balked.

"What? Absolutely not! I am not meditating with this clown!" He stated, glaring at Bulma.

"Oh, calm down and get over yourself!" She returned with her own piercing features.

"Yeah, dad! It'll be nice, really centers you before a fight." Gohan added, trying to ignore the death stare he was now receiving from Vegeta. Goku pondered for a moment but eventually gave in.

"Well, alright." He conceded and sat down facing Bulma, seated between Vegeta and Gohan.

"Now then, let's begin." The blue haired scientist cleared her throat, turning her full attention to the book in her lap. "To put it simply, the solar plexus chakra is centered around one's sense of personal power and their ability to channel their inner thoughts, feelings, and emotions. This could mean internally or externally either physically or verbally. The overarching theme behind this chakra is confidence and control, which can be thrown off balance with situations as small or large as personal conflict. Every instance in life should be approached with peace, calm, serenity, and an open mind."

Vegeta grumbled something in irritation, but everyone knew better to ignore him.

"This chakra is located in the upper abdomen near the stomach area. The sensation should be one of eb and flow, like cool mountain water flowing in a stream. Take a deep breath in and hold it."

The three Saiyans did as they were instructed, sitting up straight, tipping their chins closer to their chests, and closing their eyes as they inhaled deeply.

"Meditate on your thoughts of self-worth, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Imagine a situation in which these pieces of yourself were jeopardized and how you handled, or wish you had handled, the outcome."

Bulma closed the book and joined the men in their meditation, drawing in a deep breath as she set forth on her own spiritual journey.

She tried to think of something good, something that had really thrown her world into chaos and seemed to come up with a few instances. Having the planet threatened for the first time by King Piccolo had been a shock and a heart wrenching experience. Losing Krillin when he was just a kid was quite the blow as well. But in the end, it paled in comparison to what had recently transpired. It really put her life into perspective about how small and insignificant she, and all of humanity, really was in the greater scheme of the universe. She couldn't even comprehend the vastness of life beyond this planet and how fragile all of it really was. One small instance and it could all disappear. Or have never appeared in the first place. And everyone would be none the wiser.

It begged the answer to the meaning of life, but she'd always believed there was no answer. No point whatsoever. Therefore, it was free game to do whatever you wanted. And everyone out there on this journey was just trying to move along the best they could on their own timeline of life.

Wait, what was she supposed to be thinking about? Oh, that's right. Self-worth, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Well, self-worth she figured could be chalked up to everything she'd accomplished. All her inventions, all her adventures, all her friends, and her entire family. Bulma smiled, feeling a cool burst of energy near her center at the pleasant memories. Self-confidence, she figured, could be attributed to her feelings as a wife, mother, and world renowned scientist, causing the burst of cool energy to grow even larger. Finally, self-esteem, something she'd never lacked. If she couldn't accomplish something now, she knew in her heart someday she would be able to, and with that she let out a breath, feeling the good energy coursing through her veins as she opened her eyes.

She blinked in confusion, finding herself standing in the center of the fanciest restaurant in the city atop one of the tallest skyscrapers. It was nearly impossible to get a reservation at this place, unless you know someone important.

Like Bulma.

She hadn't been to this place in years though, since the last time she'd come she was politely asked not to bring her husband or son again. The memory made her frown bitterly, until she was distracted by something going on a few tables over. At the sight she immediately knew what day this was and couldn't help the sweet smile on her lips as she watched Gohan bend down on one knee with a small box in hand, staring lovingly at his beautiful girlfriend. Bulma wiped the tear from her eye as both young adults sprang into each other's arms, applauding along with the rest of the restaurant. The sounds of cheering drowned out anything the couple could have said, but she didn't need to hear the answer to know what it was.

Bulma walked over to the table of the happy couple, which seemed to catch Gohan by surprise.

"B-Bulma! What are you doing here?" He asked nervously with a blush dusting over his nose. The woman chuckled.

"You know, I'm not too sure. Last I remembered, we were both meditating and then suddenly I found myself here."

Gohan blinked in mystification. "Here…?" He asked in confusion, glancing around. Bulma blinked.

"Wait a minute…"

Their setting had changed entirely, and both stepped back in alarm.

"What is this?" Gohan asked, slowly recognizing where they were. The landscape was scarred and scorched, trees uprooted, the sky blackened with smoke, and hills set ablaze. What looked like an empty lake was cut through by a huge gash in the planet's surface as magma climbed and bubbled towards the surface.

"Namek? ?" He cried out in surprise, reaching out to steady Bulma when a quake suddenly struck the surface.

Just then, a small figure appeared, skittering to a stop in front of the two of them and Gohan immediately recognized the spikey hair.

"Goten? What are you doing here?" He asked incredulously. Not only surprised his brother was on Namek, but also that he was even here in the first place. Afterall, Gohan had only been five or six when he'd gone to the planet, way before his brother was ever even thought of.

Bulma raised an eyebrow, suddenly recognizing the red pole strapped to his back along with the small orange cloud just barely visible at his feet.

"That's not Goten!" She shouted in surprise.

"Nimbus! Are you alright?"

Gohan blinked, mystified. "Dad? ?" Goku, however, didn't seem to notice the two and instead turned back to where he'd come flying in from.

"You'll pay for that, Frieza!" He shouted, and that's when Gohan noticed the third form of the universe's most ruthless dictator. He cackled down at the little Saiyan and Gohan suddenly realized what must be going on.

"Bulma, this is going to sound crazy, but I think our minds are linked somehow." He stated, not even believing his own words. Bulma was speechless, but knew he had to be right. "We must be jumping into each other's minds when we finish our own meditation exercises." Gohan mused, watching as his tiny father shouted profanities back at the tyrant.

"I suppose you must be right." She mused, realizing that would also make her the most spiritually balanced of the four. She shrieked when she was unexpectedly yanked from where she was standing as Gohan took her to the skies.

"Dad must not realize we're even here. Probably not until he reaches spiritual balance, that is." Gohan muttered to himself as a blast from Frieza destroyed the ground they'd been standing on. Bulma clutched a hand to her chest, trying to catch her breath. She wanted to yell at him to be more careful when she realized Goku down below was struggling to keep up with Frieza.

"What's the matter with him! He should be able to wipe the floor with this guy!" She shouted angrily, hoping they'd be able to leave this doomed planet soon. Gohan pondered the situation for a moment.

"It must be a manifestation of his own personal turmoil." He observed, watching as the young Goku barely dodged an attack. "It's symbolic for his regret while fighting Frieza, that because he let him go, the planet and all of his friends and family were placed in grave danger."

Bulma shrieked as another large blast from the tyrant plowed into Goku, giving the young Saiyan a difficult time to deflect it. Gohan's expression set into one of determination as he flew a short distance and set Bulma down on a relatively safe rock.

"I'll be right back."

No amount of shouting or threats were able to dissuade Gohan as he sped off to the battle and landed next to his father.

"Dad, I know you can't see me, but you can beat this guy. I know you can!" He said encouragingly.

"Frieza! You'll never be able to win, even if you do beat me! There will always be someone out there waiting to take you down! You can't survive out here with the things you've done, and no amount of forgiveness will absolve you of your sins!" Goku widened his stance, his expression determined as he took his familiar pose. Frieza cackled and shouted something back at him, but Gohan wasn't paying attention either. Instead he assumed the same position as his father as they charged their attacks.

"Ka… Me…. Ha… Me…" The father and son stated in unison as Frieza continued to ignore them. With no hesitation and no regrets, they thrust their hands forward and shouted the final "HAH!"

Two beams of light shot out and engulfed Frieza, squashing any cry of alarm in the blast as the two focused all their energy. Suddenly, the shape in front of them changed and Gohan realized he was looking at cell. The creature held fast against their attack, shouting something about not being able to defeat him in this life or the next. He glanced at his father to see he was a young adult, around the age of when he'd married Chichi. He turned his attention back to cell and as one, the father and son pushed forward, shouting even louder and overpowering cell. Just as the monster disappeared though, it was now Kid Buu standing in their way and cackling evilly.

"Kaio Ken…" Goku started, now reflected as his current age. "Times…" Gohan held his power strong, sweat dripping from his forehead onto the training gi he was now wearing instead of the suit from the night he'd asked Videl's hand in marriage. "Four!"

Kid Buu was blown away into nothingness and soon enough the two Sons lowered their power, slowly letting down their hands as the danger was eliminated.

"Huh? Gohan? What are you doing here?" Goku asked confused, trying to piece this whole ordeal together.

"We were all meditating together, dad. Somehow our minds are all linked up, speaking of which…" Gohan trailed off glancing around and noticing two things were wrong with this picture. First of all, he couldn't see Bulma anywhere, second of all they were no long on Namek and looked to be on some sort of space ship. Gohan scratched his head.

"That's right!" Goku announced, smacking his fist into his palm. "It was you, me, Bulma, and Vegeta meditating in the desert! Wait a minute, what happened?" He asked, confused.

"Well, it looks like when you've finished meditating and have met spiritual enlightenment for this chakra, you're transported into the next person's meditation. Bulma was the first to finish and ended up in mine. And once I finished, we ended up in yours. Which means now we're in…"

"Prince Vegeta, wait!"

Both Saiyans turned on their heels to see the large bald Saiyan from when they'd first met the prince on Earth. Vegeta was storming away from the man with an expression that could melt steel as they walked right past Goku and Gohan in their bright orange gi's, none the wiser.

"I order you to shut up, Nappa! Before I kill you!" The thirteen-year-old shouted over his shoulder. The Sons glanced between each other silently and followed after.

"Why didn't they see us?" Goku whispered.

"I don't think he'll be able to interact with us until he's met spiritual enlightenment for the solar plexus chakra." Gohan answered back in a whisper, feeling silly since the two Saiyan warriors wouldn't be able to hear him anyways.

"Your highness, what were you thinking? Are you trying to get yourself killed by Frieza himself? ? Those inbred plebeians are strictly kept for the sole purpose of slavery! Their entire existence revolves around doing Frieza's bidding and he considers them so vital to his empire that he's been known to destroy entire fleets when a soldier steps out of line like that!" Nappa called after the younger Saiyan, fumingly enraged to the point where veins were bulging from his forehead.

"What did I tell you, Nappa? Stay out of it!" Vegeta turned and shouted back at the man, equally furious.

"My prince! I have never stood against you, I have followed every order without question, but this is suicide!"

"Enough!"

"We were only meant to stop for supplies! Not even half a day! How could this have happened?"

"I said shut up!"

"The torture, the genocide you've brought upon your fleet when Lord Frieza finds out you've _impregnated_ one of his pet servants? ? You've doomed us all and you're trying to silence me? ! Were you even thinking? ! Didn't I tell you not to trust a common whore outside of a brothel because all she wants is to sleep her way into the ranks of Frieza's soldiers, thereby being granted food and shelter through the military? Bearing the child of a member of Frieza's soldiers is merely an escape from her pathetic excuse of a life on her home planet! And you fell for it like some kind of half-witted moron!"

Vegeta snarled and leapt for his large councilman, tackling him to the floor as he began beating his face into another shape.

"Vegeta, cut it out. Killing him isn't going to change a thing."

Goku and Gohan whipped around to find a third Saiyan and Goku had to take a step back.

"Is that Raditz?" He asked in amazement. Gohan's jaw dropped. Raditz walked past the two without a bother over to the young Saiyan who had finally controlled himself before he could end Nappa's life.

"What's it to you, third class scab?" The prince hissed under his breath, spitting a glob of saliva at the wall of the hallway.

"Our race is nearly wiped from the universe and you want to kill your high council? Get a grip."

Vegeta snarled but ultimately climbed off the large man and began stalking away. Raditz followed after him.

"Come on, Nappa. Get up. Go to a healing pod or something before you bleed out all over the place." He called over his shoulder, not bothering to help the man. There was a grumbling sound from Nappa as he eventually climbed to his feet and headed off on the opposite direction. Goku and Gohan watched the three disband with large, disbelieving eyes. They could hardly string a sentence together when they suddenly heard knocking at one of the far closet doors. They glanced between each other and walked over, pushing a button on the wall and watching as Bulma collapsed forward with a yelp.

"Took you two idiots long enough!" She shouted at them, suddenly comprehending they were on some sort of space ship. Movement caught her eye and she could've sworn she saw a younger version of Vegeta walking away until realization hit her.

"What did I miss?"

~0~

A/N: Drama! What do you think? This chapter went a lot differently than I originally imagined, but then again I do have four completely untouched chakras, kekeke~ Reviews? :D I accept all manner of constructive criticism :)


	8. First Born

Goku, Bulma, and Gohan followed behind Raditz and the young Prince Vegeta with the Saiyans catching her up on what she missed.

"What!" Bulma cried out, enjoying the fact that no one other than the two beside her could hear her shouts. "Are you sure that's what the big guy said?" She demanded, suddenly feeling something well up inside of her. What was it… Anger? Spite? Jealousy? No… it was more like betrayal. Her husband wasn't exactly chatty, but he could have at least mentioned something about THIS. There were many things he didn't want to talk about, and she didn't fault him for it, but something like THIS should have gotten a little more attention, in her opinion. A secret family somewhere out there in the universe? The thought had occurred to her before in the deep recesses of her mind, and he was certainly allowed to have a life before her, but the weight of the situation seemed to be crushing her soul.

"Yeah, I was shocked when I heard it too. And he just looks so young…"

"THAT'S why you're worried? My husband has a secret family out there somewhere he's never told me about!" She shouted, exasperated. Gohan held up his hands defensively. He knew it was a different world out in space, and Frieza didn't seem the type to care what his personnel did if it didn't affect him. Either way, he couldn't imagine himself ever doing anything like that. Heck, Vegeta didn't look much older than Trunks or Goten.

"When we get out of here, I'm giving him a piece of my mind!" She seethed under her breath, causing Goku and Gohan to give her a little more distance.

All of a sudden, Vegeta came to a halt causing the trio to stumble over themselves.

"Raditz, prepare a space pod." The young Saiyan Prince demanded, not even bother to turn towards the other. Raditz raised an eyebrow.

"Please tell me you're joking." The teenager replied. Vegeta scowled deeper.

"If you have something to say, spit it out." He grit the words between his teeth, his fists clenched so tight they began to shake. Raditz didn't miss the obvious signs of the prince's anger, nevertheless, he persisted.

"I'm not here to follow some idiotic fantasy of yours. I may put up with a lot of shit, but there's a line I can't cross, and you running after some bitch you stuck it in ain't something I'm willing to follow. I'd rather lick Zarbon's boots if it had to come to that." He stated coolly, ready for the temper tantrum he was sure would come. Vegeta stood there a moment and processed the information before swinging around and slugging the other in the gut. Raditz immediately toppled over and began coughing violently until Vegeta grabbed a fistful of hair and force him to look up.

"Tell those two brain cells of yours to quit working so hard before they light your head on fire." Vegeta hissed. "I don't know where you get the idea that I'd let some mother of a bastard dictate my life, but you'd better keep those delusions to yourself before you also end up in a healing tank. Now ready my space pod."

He released Raditz who immediately stood up. "Yessir."

Vegeta huffed, turning on his heel only to be stopped before he could take a step.

"I'm coming with you."

Vegeta snarled.

"Do what you will."

And with that, the prince was off.

The three intruders blinked in unison before glancing between each other.

"But wait…" Gohan spoke up. "If they're getting into space pods, then what's going to happen to us?" He asked, pondering the question as they watched young Vegeta disappear around a corner. Bulma tapped a finger against her chin.

"Interesting question." She mused. "I guess we'll just have to find…"

She was suddenly cut off her train of thought when she realized they'd wound up in a new setting.

"Out." She finished, glancing around. They were standing in the street of some rundown little shanty town that looked like it had been hastily put together with whatever was on hand. Their attention was then drawn to the young prince and Raditz being guided down the street by an overly hairy man wearing dingy robes. He directed the two Saiyan warriors to the door of one of the rickety houses and bowed before walking away.

"Stay outside." Vegeta ordered with no room for negotiation in his tone. Raditz obeyed.

"Come on!" Bulma ordered, and the two other Saiyans rushed to keep up as she ducked inside. They were met with a studio setting that had little room for much more than a folding divider in one corner she assumed was the bathroom, and a stack of items in another corner that looked to be for chores such as washing clothes, and pots for making food. A large bed with piles of blankets took up nearly an entire wall and on top of that bed was a woman propped against a mound of pillows holding a bundle of fabric.

"So, the prince of dogs has returned." She said slyly with a mischievous grin. Bulma recognized the exhausted look on her face, she had very recently given birth to that baby in her arms. She found herself wanting to come over and see it, but something inside her held her back.

"Watch your tongue, female." Vegeta ordered, jerking his head at the two other women in the room to get out. They scurried past the three at the door, closing it behind them, and heading down the street.

"Have you come to take me away with you, my prince?" She asked, more sincerely this time, but still playful. Vegeta's eyes narrowed even further.

"Try again."

Her face dropped, and she looked down at her breastfeeding child.

"Have you come to kill us?" She asked, sounding more honest. Bulma found herself holding her breath and Vegeta didn't speak. The woman in the bed chuckled.

"I wouldn't blame you." She continued softly, patting the spot next to her as an invitation to sit down. Vegeta gave her a wary eye and she giggled.

"I'm not here to hurt you, my prince. Not while my," she paused, thoughtfully, "our child, is feeding."

Vegeta seemed to think it over for a moment longer before conceding and coming closer. He couldn't deny he was curious as to what it looked like. It wasn't often he saw a baby, after all. It's not like it had been anywhere near necessary as a prince, and most young Saiyans were shipped off to some other planet. He came closer to the bed, but not close enough to touch it, and peered over her shoulder.

"How do I know it's mine?" He asked, skeptical. She smiled wistfully.

"His tail." She replied, fiddling with the lower half of his blankets and allowing the tail to escape. Bulma tried to read his face, but it was as tough as stone. The prince watched it flick aimlessly for a moment before taking a step even closer, his knees now touching the bed. She pushed the blankets back from around his tiny face and Vegeta saw the downturned eyebrows, the thick dark defined widow's peak, and a full lush head of hair.

His son. Heir to the Saiyan monarchy. Sure, he wasn't full blooded, but his mother was a warrior. She'd come rather close to even kicking his own ass.

He remembered Nappa's warning, and Raditz's ultimatum, as he sat down on the bed and leaned in even closer.

"I would offer to let you hold him, but he's a voracious eater."

Vegeta ignored her, marking that down as another Saiyan attribute. He found himself tugging at the fingers of a glove until he pulled it off and began reaching out with that hand, catching a lock of hair between his thumb and first finger. He leaned in closer, his cheek just brushing against her shoulder, until he could catch the scent of this spawn. The woman's was rather overpowering, but in the end he caught it. The familiar scent of his family he was sure he reeked of, just barely noticeable until it was located. Now it was all he could smell.

Vegeta released the hair and reached up, using a finger to tip her chin until she was facing him and placed a firm kiss on her lips.

Gohan balked, both deathly curious and deathly afraid to see what Bulma's reaction was. His curiosity got the better of him though and he glanced over to see her glaring with tears in her eyes.

"Unbelievable!" She threw her hands in the air and stormed out of the room into the street. He blinked and turned back to see the two on the bed making out. He decided he didn't want to keep his eyes there either and turned to his father. Goku stood, his face grim and stance rigid.

"I don't like where this is going." He muttered. Gohan wasn't sure what he meant when they were all suddenly transported back onto the main ship. They were standing in a basic sized living room with four walls and simple furnishings. One of the walls had two doors, one leading into a bedroom, and the other leading into a bathroom. There was a couch in the living room Vegeta was sitting on, and standing at one of the walls looking out the window was the woman with her baby. Something resembling a television set was playing, but the way he was sitting made it obvious he wasn't paying attention. Gohan couldn't help feeling the tension, and even worry, in the air as the prince stared without seeing.

A buzzer at the door made Gohan jump and the voice of Nappa came through the com.

"Prince Vegeta, we need to speak." His voice was urgent, but Vegeta didn't so much as flinch. He just sat there and stared. "Prince Vegeta!" Again, the younger Saiyan made no effort to move. Goku and Gohan both shrunk back when they heard the lock to the sliding door being torn apart as the door was ripped open and smashed into its holding space in the wall. Vegeta shot to his feet, ignoring the cries of the infant. The prince was about to say something when Nappa's large meaty hand suddenly engulfed the back of his neck and led him into the hallway like a misbehaving child.

"Unhand me!" He called out, ready to lodge his fist straight through the other man's skull. Goku and Gohan followed them into the hallway, finding Bulma who was staring at the two with wide eyes.

"Listen to me and listen to me good. This isn't something that's going to turn out with a decent ending. Best case scenario is we're wheeled out of here straight into the medical bay. What you're doing is directly crossing Lord Frieza and I can't stand by as you willingly throw away your life like this."

Vegeta roared and charged for the muscly man, but Nappa knew when the prince was blinded by rage as badly as he was, he made for a sloppy fighter. He side stepped the younger, sticking out a foot to trip him and followed him to the floor with a hand pressed to his back, crushing his ribs against the metal ground.

"You are the Prince. You're the one meant for greatness. You are the one that's going to rule and you…" the big man leaned in close, "you are the one that's going to end Frieza. You're the only chance we got and I'm not going to let you throw that away for some slut milking you for baby money, so either you're going to do something, or I am. Or, even worse, Frieza is going to get wind of this, and then we're all fucked."

Vegeta snarled, trying to sit up only to collapse down when his arms refused to work. He knew Nappa was right, but he also knew he was right, and the conflicting emotions were causing his muscles to shake and spasm.

The three travelers were startled when the girl suddenly darted from the room with her child in hand, having successfully shushed it and was now making a silent escape down the hallway.

"Focus on your goals!" Nappa roared in his ear. "Did the king raise you to be some kind of two-bit lovesick moron? Did he throw away his time training you to be an elite Saiyan warrior just so you could give up and play house?"

Vegeta clenched his fists.

"Look at you! You're strong enough to throw me around, yet here you are. Trapped beneath the strength of my one arm and sniveling like a brat!"

Vegeta roared with fury as his energy built up around himself until it finally exploded, sending Nappa flying into the ceiling and then collapsing into the ground.

Wind blew like gales around the prince. He glanced at Nappa, only to turn towards his true objective. He quieted his power and glanced through his door but knew in his gut she'd gone.

"I told you… my prince."

Vegeta snarled and clenched the doorframe until the metal bent.

"She was just using you. You were nothing more than a meal ticket."

Vegeta's grip broke through the metal and he turned, ready to murder his councilman until he was stopped by a sight just behind Nappa.

"Saiyan Vegeta! Urgent message. Your presence is requested in the thrown room." A nameless soldier announced. Vegeta scowled.

"Tell Dodoria I'm busy." He snarled, his anger undisturbed and ready for use. However, the messenger just shook his head.

"No can do. This one comes from Frieza himself."

Vegeta swallowed heavily, suddenly forgetting his bloodthirstiness and standing straight.

"Right away." He bit out, finally beginning to understand the load of shit he'd gotten himself into.

"Immediately, sir." The man stated, gesturing that Vegeta was meant to follow him. The prince bristled but pressed forward. He heard over his shoulder as Nappa gracelessly climbed to his feet and lumbered after him. He had to remind himself to scrub the emotions from his face. Frieza was good about picking them apart.

The doors to the throne room were always unnecessarily imposing. Not that there was anything specific in the design, but because he knew what was behind them.

And there was never a pleasant memory from that room.

The doors swooshed open and immediately Vegeta saw the most feared tyrant of the galaxy sitting upon his throne. Obviously, he'd come back from whatever trip he'd been on and Vegeta cursed two things. First, that he was back here with this kind of timing, second that he'd made it back alive to begin with. He knew it would never happen, but there was always that small nagging hope in the back of his mind that Frieza would meet some untimely demise out in space. Maybe fly too close to a black hole. Maybe accidentally land on a star. Maybe just keel over from an aneurism.

He strode inside, doing his best to exude complete confidence as he was soon accompanied by Nappa at his side and the two got to one knee and bowed.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. At ease." He stated in a simple tone. Vegeta swallowed heavily. So far this was starting out terribly. The two climbed to their feet and the larger clasped his hands together.

"Good afternoon to you as well, your excellency." Nappa gushed a little too heavily. "I imagine your trip went splendidly?"

Vegeta just stared at the being in front of him, yelling at himself internally to act casual. Frieza returned the long stare, his expression unamused and bored before he broke eye contact and smiled.

"Yes, thank you for asking. I challenged myself to do something new everyday this week." He stated, steepling his fingers. Nappa laughed nervously, knowing he didn't want to ask but also knowing it would be rude not to.

"Is that so? And what did you do today?" The large man asked nervously, a bead of sweat running down his temple. Frieza smiled charmingly.

"I skinned some locals from the planet I'd recently acquired. Half of them even managed to live long enough to see the sun set one last time before I had all life wiped away."

Nappa yelped at the mental imagery before composing himself and clearing his throat.

"Terrific! I'm sure that brought some good spirits in the journey." Nappa observed, feebly hoping he could steer the imposing leader into a good mood that would somehow rectify this whole situation. He wasn't sure how much he knew, but he certainly didn't want to reveal anything either.

"Yes, quite." Frieza stated offhand. "But I'm sure you're wonder why I've brought you here, Prince Vegeta."

Vegeta had grown used to the mocking tone his title earned him from just about anyone who crossed his path. Those who weren't aware of the formidable power of a Saiyan were violently dealt with. Those Vegeta knew he couldn't possibly defeat were added to a mental list. For the longest time, the list would only grow day to day. But, as he got older, he found it was much easier to pick some of the names off. The only ones left now were certain to beat him within an inch of his life, if they were feeling generous. Frieza did not look like he was feeling generous today.

"Zarbon." The tyrant called out, hardly needing to raise his voice. The light teal alien stepped in from a side door and Vegeta's heart sank. There, standing in his grasp, was the woman and her child. The prince didn't even bother giving her more than a fleeting glance as she sniveled and shook.

"Vegeta, do you know why I spared these creatures' lives?" Frieza asked boredly. Vegeta swallowed hard and shook his head.

"No, Lord Frieza. I do not." He replied, wishing the other would just skip the lecture.

"I did so because there is something intriguingly unique about them. You see, once the females begin the process of their species' puberty, their bodies cease maturing until they've conceived a child. So, in theory, they could potentially live forever. Or, at least, quite a long time."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, thinking how strangely vast the universe was.

"So, I decided to do a little experiment. For the past millennia I have harvested these cows and farmed them for their blood. Unfortunately, the curious antiaging properties don't seem to be transmitted so easily, but over the years I have grown fond of the taste."

Frieza casually raised a hand and pointed a finger at Zarbon and the girl, firing a blast of energy right through her shoulder. She crumpled to the floor with a scream of anguish, causing the baby to cry.

"The only thing that seems to ruin the flavor is the pesky mating process. So, you see, I've devised a schedule based on harvesting and procreation needs."

Another energy blast burrowed through her other shoulder and the baby came rolling onto the floor. Vegeta held his gaze with Frieza through it though, his expression unwavering.

"So, you see, when a pent up stupid little monkey like yourself lets his unevolved brain convince him to fuck the first thing with tits it sees, it puts me in an awkward position. Your father is dead, and I trust your councilman is capable enough to teach you the ways of your primitive race, yet here we are having this discussion."

Vegeta's eye twitched. Of all the ways this conversation could go he did not expect this, and the very idea caused his stomach to churn violently. Once again, he was being treated as some stupid child and he had to remind himself if he lunged for an attack, there would be no second chance.

"I'm sure you weren't fully aware you were damaging my property, so as long as you do one simple thing for me, I'll let you go."

Vegeta's blood ran cold.

"Oh, how generous my Lord!" Nappa called out, nonchalantly nudging Vegeta as well and hoping the prince would at least try to play along. Frieza sneered and snapped his fingers. The girl was suddenly lifted and thrown at the feet of the two Saiyans. Vegeta winced.

"Kill her."

Vegeta felt the blood drain from his face. His mind went blank and he could hardly find the will to breathe. He stared down at her, watching as she cowered and shook.

"P-Please…" She whimpered, her tears spilling over her cheeks.

The prince stood and stared. What in the world was he thinking? This woman with no attachment, no reason, and no purpose in the universe except as property to the tyrant Frieza. He'd killed thousands in his life, yet he stood stiff when instructed to execute a single sniveling woman?

She dragged herself slowly across the floor, reaching out and grabbing him at his ankle.

"Please, my prince." She tried to smile through the tears, pulling herself up despite the obvious shaking. "We can run away together. Just you and me, and our son. Our little boy."

Vegeta continued to stare without a single word.

"Please, he has your eyes, he'll have your strength. We'll live together somewhere far away!" She reached up higher, moving to take hold of his hand when her expression suddenly shattered into one of agony. Vegeta glanced up to see Nappa had crushed one of her legs beneath his foot.

"What are you waiting for! Kill her!" He demanded through clenched teeth. Nappa twisted his foot, causing her to howl in distress. "She's using you! She's a leech! A parasite! You're a prince, don't settle for this!"

"My prince, please, don't let them hurt me!" She cried out, sobbing. "I want to live! Take me away!"

Vegeta took a step back, his steady features slowly crumbling. Nappa raised his foot and used all is strength to crush her other leg. She shrieked from the pain, cursing him and cursing Frieza.

"I'm not your slave! I'm not your property, I belong to no one!" She turned back to Vegeta, vengeful hatred in her eyes. "I bore your godforsaken demon child! The gestation nearly killed me, yet I held out so you'd take me away! He broke my body, and even the thought of needing someone as narrowminded and hopeless as you makes my skin crawl!"

Vegeta tried to take another step back, but she was gripping his shoe too hard.

"I don't need you, and as soon as I was free I would have killed that hell spawn! You're nothing more to me than a useless sack of meat attached to me ticket to freedom!" She suddenly lunged forward and sank her teeth into his leg. Vegeta shouted and kicked her away.

"You did this!" She shouted back, shakily sitting up. "Whatever corner of Hell you end up, whatever sad, miserable ditch you die in, know that this is your fault!"

Nappa marched over to the woman, twisting his fingers into her hair and dragging her back to the prince's feet.

"I curse you, Vegeta! May you never find strength! May you never find peace! May your wretched children suffer!" She had more to say, but she was cut off by an energy blast through the throat, severing her spine. She sank to the floor, dead, and Nappa looked up to see his prince pointing a finger, his face contorted morbidly and a single tear running down his cheek.

Vegeta lowered his arm, understanding now that it's not who she was, but who she promised to be. He hadn't minded the thought of having her in his life. But now he saw how foolish the thought had become. He glanced up when he saw movement and found Zarbon approaching him with the fussing child. When it was offered to him, he took it in his arms and almost immediately it began to calm down.

A moment of sinister chuckling filled the air before Frieza spoke up.

"Now kill the child."

Vegeta looked up to see the whole room was smiling evilly, obviously enjoying the show.

"How pathetic can this get?"

"I know, right? It's just some woman and her bastard son, what's all the fuss about?"

"Hell, I kill my own children for the heck of it."

Vegeta glanced back down at the stressed face of the baby in his arms. He really hadn't minded the idea of having a child. He liked the thought that his blood and the Saiyan race could be carried around the universe. But this was the end of the line, and he knew he couldn't wriggle his way out of this situation.

Bulma had given up trying to wipe away the tears rolling down her cheeks. She'd been so wrong about this whole situation and wished she could take back every thought. She couldn't imagine having to go through something like this. Maybe it's why he'd been so quick to abandon her and Trunks? Maybe even the entire reason he bothered to come back was because Frieza was no longer around to force something as awful as this to occur.

All she did know was she couldn't watch a minute longer and turned to press her face into Goku's chest. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close as the sound of an energy blast threw the room into an eerie silence, until the soldiers burst into laughter and applause.

She heard Gohan beside them trying to hold back tears and failing miserably as Goku put a hand on his son's shoulder. Bulma squeezed her friend harder in her arms, desperately wishing she could go back in time and do something about this.

Just then, she heard a baby giggle. She thought it sounded familiar and when she opened her eyes she understood why.

They were all standing in Trunks' nursery and watched as Vegeta stood over the baby's crib. He had one elbow propped on the top bar of the crib with his head resting in his hand, and in the other hand was a set of colorful plastic baby keys. Trunks was giggling and mumbling, reaching for the keys with a big smile on his face as Vegeta stared at him curiously.

"How in the world did the son of a Saiyan get such ridiculous hair?" He murmured to himself, finally letting Trunks take hold of his toy. He immediately put the keys in his mouth and began biting.

Bulma chuckled and then realized she had never really seen Vegeta hanging out around the house other than the kitchen and the gravity chamber when their son was this little. Trunks was probably four the first time she caught him voluntarily near the child. She leaned her head against Goku's chest once again, watching her husband lovingly.

"It's a lot of pressure to be the prince, my son. But I have faith you'll do it with pride."

Cool electricity suddenly shot up Vegeta's spine and he opened his eyes to see he was the first. He looked down at his hands, opening and closing them, surprised he'd been able to open the third chakra with such a dark memory. Then again, Frieza was dead, he had a family, and was one of the strongest warriors in the galaxy. The three others suddenly opened their eyes as well, blinking several times from the desert sun.

"Gosh, how long has it been?" Gohan asked, stretching his arms high over his head. Bulma glanced at her watch.

"Oh my gosh! Four hours!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"You were right, I feel much more centered!" Goku announced, standing up and hopping from foot to foot. Gohan and Vegeta stood as well, the Saiyan prince folding his arms over his chest unamused. The three others seemed to suddenly remember what they'd seen and turned to Vegeta with varying apologetic looks.

"Vegeta, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to…" Gohan was suddenly cut off from his apology when Vegeta slammed a fist into his jaw with considerably more force than necessary. The younger hadn't been at all prepared for something like that and was stunned, landing on his back with a dumb look of shock on his face.

"Vegeta!" Bulma shrieked just as the man punched Goku in the teeth.

"Ouch, damn it! What the hell!" His fellow Saiyan shouted, not bothering to fight back. Vegeta stood up straight, composing himself as he turned to his wife.

"What is wrong with you?" She shouted, glaring at him. He just reached out and took the book from her grasp and shot off into the sky, ignoring the profane language she was spitting after him.

~0~

A/N: Remember that scene with Frieza drinking wine? :D oh boy, I got a little dark in this chapter... yikes

Reviews? :3


	9. Nightcrawlers

Young Prince Vegeta awoke from his artificially induced sleep when his space pod was within distance of his destination. He was being sent on a mission to scout a new viable planet for mineral content after early drone missions deemed it was worth a visit. The drone ruled out any visible forms of intelligent life, so for this job there were only two warriors and four surveyors being sent out.

After his incident with Lord Frieza, Vegeta had been stripped of his title as captain then demoted from Commander down to Corporal. A steep dive, but he'd gotten away with only his pride damaged, unlike Nappa and Raditz. The two were found guilty of aiding and abetting him in his outlandish scheme and sentenced to a beating, one of which landed them in the intensive care healing tanks for a least a week. Vegeta couldn't help wondering what perfect timing that along with his mission had been as he and the other five space pods entered the atmosphere. He'd needed to be assigned a new partner, and in a cruel twist of fate, Vegeta found himself working alongside Cui. So far, the purple fish faced son of a bitch wasn't making things easy.

"Had a long enough nap? I thought you were going to sleep through the whole mission."

Vegeta grit his teeth, more pissed than anything that he'd been bumped one rank below the asshole.

The pods smashed into the planet's surface soon enough and the men climbed out to find rolling hills of sand as far as the eye could see. However, dotted along the landscape seemed to be pillars no more than two stories high, and as Vegeta scanned the area it looked as if they were standing on top on a city that had been almost completely covered in the desert sands.

A quake abruptly shook the ground they were standing on, causing their feet to slide into the sand up to their ankles. When it stopped, they glanced between each other before shaking their boots free. Vegeta and Cui pressed the locator button on their scouters, scanning the area and coming up with nothing.

"Well, looks like the prince is going to have to wait for his new bride." Cui sneered, walking over to one of the structures, examining it. Vegeta snarled.

"Say whatever will help you sleep at night." He growled, turning to the surveyors.

"Alright, I want off this planet by nightfall tomorrow. Samples are to be taken everything thousand miles…" Vegeta was unexpectedly interrupted by something striking him in the back of the knees. He couldn't hold in a yelp of surprise as he toppled forward, this time catching the pole before it could leave a dent in his skull.

"Remember, Vegeta, I'm the highest-ranking soldier on this mission. So, all orders are given by me." Cui stated with a malevolent grin. Vegeta cursed him under his breath then stood, yanking what looked to be a curtain rod from the purple alien's grasp.

"Alright peons, samples are to be taken every fifteen hundred miles along the longitude lines only. I want to be off this pit by sunset tonight." He ordered, dismissing the surveyors who flew off to complete their task.

"You do know this is a class three planet, right?" Vegeta asked skeptically. "Protocol requires greater amounts of samples as the planet is intended to be sold as a material stripping source."

Vegeta barely dodged the fist that was intended to send his nose into his brain, yet missed the second that ended up colliding with his stomach. He gasped deeply, doubling over from the pain and pathetically managed to keep his lunch down.

"That goody-goody attitude might have been what got you to the rank you were, but remember you and me are equally matched in strength." Cui warned, kicking him in the side. "Oh wait, that's right, I forgot to mention that I've nearly doubled my power level since we last met!" He announced, laughing hysterically as he walked away. Vegeta groaned as he sat up, vaguely hoping the intense pain in his side wasn't a sign of internal hemorrhaging. He'd have to find another time to kick Cui's ass to properly remind him who's more powerful.

Just then, another quake began to shake the area immediately surrounding Vegeta. As he looked up, he could see it was oddly concentrated to where he was sitting. Before he could question the phenomenon though, he was suddenly engulfed in pure darkness in a place that was moist and smelled like rot.

Cui turned around just in time to see Vegeta eaten by some sort of giant worm monster that exploded from the ground like a dolphin out of water. The thing was enormous, towering high into the sky as it continued to burrow out of the sand towards the sun. Its ascent eventually began to slow which soon enough caused it to tilt back towards the planet, plunging into the sand once more. Cui stared with complete astonishment, watching as the creature continued to lift itself out of the sand while simultaneously digging its way back in until its tail eventually surfaced just before following the rest of itself back underground.

It took him a moment to regain his composure, and as he did Vegeta came drifting back towards the surface of the planet. Cui quickly hid his look of horror from his rival only to burst into hysterics when he saw the prince land with an expression of fear much worse than his had been. The Saiyan was completely covered in clear goop and despite how much he tried to shake it off, he was still drenched.

"You should see the look on your stupid face!" The purple man exclaimed just before a fist from the prince collided with his jaw.

"Oh yeah? Next time I'll feed YOU to that disgusting thing!" Vegeta shouted, dodging an attack and throwing another one. Cui glared as the two began to spar until they both stopped mid punch, staring at each other when the ground beneath them began to shake. They shouted in unison as they took to the air, right before another worm surfaced, nearly engulfing them in its giant mouth.

"I'm getting out of here, fuck this mission!" Cui shouted, just about to fly off to his space pod before he was caught by Vegeta.

"Are you trying to get us killed? If Frieza finds out…" Vegeta was cut off before he could reason with the other.

"Fuck that! You want to stay here and die, be my guest!" He yelled, pointing a finger at the center of the Prince's chest and charging an energy blast. Vegeta dodged. However, the distance between them was too short, allowing Cui to nick his rival in the side.

"Coward!" The Saiyan shouted after the other as he lowered himself on top of one of the protruding structures, clutching at his wound. Cui stopped halfway to the pod, turning with an expression of hostility lighting up his eyes. He snarled and shot back in the direction of the prince, landing on the structure as well.

"You're calling me a coward? That's rich!" He announced with a laugh. "How about this, as your superior officer I order you to complete collecting samples here while I go to the next available planet." He said with a chuckle. Vegeta narrowed his eyes.

"What, you afraid of a few little worms?" He asked, hiding the cringe in his features. Cui glared before lunging at the other with a battle cry. Vegeta blocked a punch, then a kick, landing his own punch in the other's chest and knocking the wind from him. Cui jumped back and coughed before he was interrupted by Vegeta landing a fist left, then right, then left again into his face. The prince spun around and connected his foot with the side of his rival's head, sending him flying into another structure. Vegeta sneered.

He flew over to the tower and landed inside near Cui, a smug look on his face. The purple alien glared.

"What's that, Cui? Doubled your power level?" He asked mockingly. "You know, zero times two is still zero."

Cui glared even harder before his expression swiftly dissolved.

"Damn, here I thought I could beat you." He chuckled pitiably, pushing some rubble off himself as he made the effort to stand. He was slowly climbing to his feet when the Saiyan prince sensed the murderous intent but wasn't quick enough to completely get away. Vegeta shouted as a knife was dragged across his leg from knee to hip. The nearly black blood streaming down his leg indicated an artery had been severed, and if he wasn't mistaken, he could see a sliver of his femur.

Vegeta staggered back before something unexpectedly blocked his airway. The pain in his neck alluded to what occurred, nonetheless even that wasn't enough to distract from the realization that he now had a knife plunged into his throat. His instincts managed to catch the wrist of Cui yet hadn't been quick enough to stop the blade from sinking into his skin. He coughed, tasting blood, and Cui just laughed as he wrenched the knife out of the other's neck, letting him collapse to the floor.

"I still expect you to complete your mission, Corporal." He stated in a mocking tone. Vegeta tried to retort something but could only wheeze as the hole in his wind pipe frothed and bubbled. The sensation of air being forced through a hole in his neck was unreal, and he clasped a hand to his throat in hopes to bring some amount of sanity back to his situation. Despite his fatal wound though, he glared up at the other soldier with an expression that conveyed his murderous intent. Cui just laughed before smacking a hand into the side of his head, slamming him into the stone beside him. Vegeta's vision swam as he understood he'd been thrown through the wall onto the sandy ground outside. He managed to watch as Cui flew to the space pods and fired one up before he soared off back towards outer space.

Vegeta sighed lightly with a hand clasped over his throat. His vision was beginning to get spotty from the loss of blood and he wondered if he had the strength to make it back to a space pod. He tentatively wiggled his toes then made a fist with his free hand, determining Cui had been stopped short of severing the cervical nerves in his spine. From his understanding of anatomy, any major arteries were located closer to the sides of his neck, meaning it wasn't likely he was going to bleed out from this injury. As long as he made it to a medical outpost in time, that is. His leg on the other hand…

He vaguely wondered if the surveyors had been eaten yet. They did rather quick work to begin with and moved fast between sights, so he didn't imagine so. Not that he'd be able to radio in to find out. Vegeta attempted to speak, wondering what the extent of the damage was, but only managed to make a few raspy choking sounds.

Great.

Another rumbling along the ground caught his attention and his eyes grew wide. He did his best to pull himself upright, climbing haphazardly to his feet before the tremors grew even more prominent as he stumbled across the ground.

His leg throbbed painfully, protesting the sudden strenuous exercise. As he hobbled to safety, the tremors grew even stronger and with a final burst of power he flew through the window of a nearby structure just as the worm exploded onto the surface, barely missing its prey.

Vegeta gasped, coughed, and choked through the pain as he collapsed in on himself. Finally unable to hold back the nausea any longer, he deposited the contents of his stomach in front of himself violently, nearly choking when some of it got stuck in his stab wound. When he'd settled down no longer having anything left to purge, he did his best to roll over away from the mess. The action caused white spots to fleck across his vision and he tried to focus on not breathing in too much of his own blood. He closed his eyes, attempting to calm himself down to regain some composure. Soon enough, he was back to breathing as normally as he could, despite needing to focus on the in and out rhythm.

Just then he heard a noise of scampering, like something was prowling around, observing him. He wanted to ask who was there but caught himself before he could. When he opened his eyes, the sound of little footsteps stopped, making him wonder if it was just his own paranoia. After all, the scouters hadn't picked up any forms of life. Then again, if he was currently taking shelter in the uppermost part of a city buried in sand there could be all kinds of creatures living in the depths.

He closed his eyes again, exhausted beyond belief. He could only imagine how wretched he looked sprawled out and bleeding everywhere like this. Just as the scampering started up again though, Vegeta could feel himself drifting off to unconsciousness.

Scraping and mashing sounds woke him, making him start with a little jump. His eyes flew open as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat to no avail.

 _That's right._ He thought to himself, reaching up to inspect the knife wound Cui had given him. When his fingers made contact though, he felt something strange and crusty like mud covering his neck.

"Don't pick at it, no matter how itchy it gets." Came a voice sounding like it belonged to a little girl. Vegeta turned as far as his neck would let him, finding the child in question mashing something in a little ceramic bowl. She smiled sweetly as she continued to mix.

"My name's Ara, pleased to meet you, mister." She greeted with a large sweet smile. A beetle crawling on the wall beside her suddenly distracted him, and to his horror he watched as she picked it up, dropped it in her bowl, and began mashing again.

"I saw the whole thing, how your friend tried to kill you and then threw you to the Lumbri. It was amazing how you managed to get away!" She announced excitedly, setting down her wooden masher then smearing whatever was in the bowl onto her fingers. She reached out and scraped it onto Vegeta's leg which caused the cut there to burn with a sensation like antiseptic. He grunted at the pain, hardly able to make a sound as he desperately tried to swallow the mass in his throat. In his mind he knew it was congealing tissue, nevertheless it didn't stop him from wanting to remove the foreign matter.

"This will help keep the bugs and sand out of your wounds." Ara explained, smushing it into a neater arrangement. Vegeta grunted in acknowledgement. "You've only been asleep for about a half an hour, so I say you should get a little rest before we go." She stated, examining her work. Vegeta cocked an eyebrow and Ara realized she hadn't explained herself.

"Oh! After dark the Nightcrawlers come out and hunt for me and my people. We have a few hours before that happens though, and I can't carry you, so you'll have to walk on your own. So you should get some sleep."

Vegeta searched her face. She looked so honest and sincere, he wondered what a young girl like her was doing up near the surface, near the Lumbri things, or whatever, by herself. He nodded, hoping it conveyed his thanks and drifted off to sleep once more.

Shaking woke him up this time, but not like a quake.

"Mister, wake up!"

Vegeta opened his eyes to see everything around him was washed with a red light. The sun must have been setting and he vaguely remembered needing to wake up.

 _That's right. Nightcrawlers. Lumbries. Ara…_ Vegeta glanced around, finding the little girl kneeling beside him.

"Here." She said, holding out a bowl. He couldn't see what was inside, but it sloshed around ominously. He slowly propped himself onto his elbows, his neck and leg feeling stiffer than before, as he pushed himself all the way up with his arms. His injured leg laying straight while the other was bent. He could see inside the bowl now and couldn't help glancing up at the girl with a questioning look. She giggled.

"You don't want to know."

Vegeta looked back at the bowl, felt his stomach leap around in his abdomen, and conceded. He swallowed whatever the contents were while holding his breath, trying not to taste them until he began coughing when it started going down the wrong pipe. He'd eaten most of it, but the texture left him gagging.

"I hate it when my Nana makes that stuff for me too." Ara said, sticking out her tongue and making an icky face. Vegeta grimaced, but vowed to finish and with one last swallow, throwing his head as far back as his neck would allow, he succeeded. A shiver ran down his spine, making Ara giggle again.

"Come on!" She said happily, jumping to her feet. "I'll take you to meet my family."

Ara held out her hand, offering to help him up. However, Vegeta just swatted it away, climbing onto his knee and using the wall next to him to pull himself up. His leg throbbed heavily and the swelling in his neck was making it harder to breathe, however, he knew it wasn't in his best interest to stick around these parts. As he stood straight, he motioned for Ara to lead the way.

"Oh, right!" She announced, bounding off towards a staircase. Vegeta limped after her.

They traversed the massive hallways and cathedral sized rooms, their path being lit by large clumps of glowing mushrooms. Vegeta was amazed there was so much ornately decorated space underground. Whatever civilizations had been here before were master architects.

He'd needed to stop to catch his breath twice, both the swelling in his throat mixed with the extreme loss of blood weren't helping much. Vegeta braced himself against a doorframe, concentrating hard on not puking up his guts.

"Come on! It's just a little further! The Nightcrawlers will be out soon." Ara said urgently, tugging at his hand a bit. Vegeta nodded his understanding and held up a finger indicating just one more minute.

Vegeta's ears perked up a bit, hearing the same scuttling sound from before he'd met the little girl.

"Ara, is that you?" The voice of another little girl called out. Ara bristled.

"Tanya, I told you to stay in the room!" She scolded angrily. Vegeta raised an eyebrow, wondering where the other child was.

"Is that who you're bringing to dinner?" Tanya asked, finally walking out of the shadows.

"Tanya, shut up! And make sure everyone is still in the room." The girl urged, swatting the outstretched hand of the other child.

"I know, I just… Could smell him already." She said, and finally Vegeta understood the look in her eyes.

Hunger.

The prince gruffly shoved Ara away and took off for the exit, flying down the corridor as fast as he could manage. The pain in his leg and neck made it difficult to navigate, which caused him to inevitably run into a wall.

Tears sprang involuntarily to his eyes as he sloppily managed to pull himself back onto his feet. He cradled his nose with both hands, trying not to think of what a mess he looked like. He took a step in the direction he was heading and paused.

Was this the way out or…?

He heard the familiar scuttling and bent backwards in order to look straight up. Ara and Tanya were climbing across the ceiling, their heads turned completely around with their once cute features replaced by sinister malicious ones.

 _Shit._

Vegeta took to the air once again only to be tackled to the floor when Tanya leapt from the ceiling. The prince tried to escape her grasp but was held tight when the child abruptly sank her teeth into his bicep. If Vegeta could have screamed, he would have. Instead, he made a desperate grunting sound and covered her face with the palm of his hand. It didn't even take a second to blow a hole through her forehead and she immediately slumped to the floor, the smell of burnt flesh filling the room.

"Tanya!" Ara cried. Vegeta wasted no time taking to the air again. He did his best to navigate the underground building, eventually making it to the surface. Ara didn't seem to be following him anymore and Vegeta was surprised creatures from this planet had such a capacity to mourn. He flew straight for the space pods, noticing the ones for the surveyors were gone. Either the Lumbries had eaten them, or the men had escaped this planet. Presently, Vegeta couldn't find the effort to care, other than hoping this wouldn't be another black mark in the eye of Frieza.

By the time he was opening the door to the craft, he was hardly able to breathe. He quickly considered ripping off the covering on his throat but decided if he had enough brain power to weigh his options then he wasn't oxygen deprived enough to warrant such a brash action.

When he was in the pod, he opened his star chart with his good arm and glanced over the nearby planets. It didn't look like there was anything with reliable medical facilities closer than three hours away and the prince began to panic. The charts looked familiar, however. As he thought a little harder, he realized why. Vegeta input a set of coordinates he'd memorized years ago, finding that the destination wasn't even thirty minutes away. He set the map and the space pod started up, lifting into the air as he secured his harnesses.

As Vegeta flew through space, the loss of his adrenaline high was causing him to finally notice all the aches and pains he'd built up. He looked down at his leg, hoping the mud that monster child had put on him wasn't going to lead to an infection. The planet he was going to was reliable, nevertheless he didn't think they had healing tanks.

Despite his best efforts, his eyes began to close. He didn't think he was going to make it another twenty minutes without passing out, so he decided to write a transmission. Something quick and easy the intended planet would understand, yet also something Frieza or his men wouldn't be able to decipher. After all, he'd wiped this planet out of Frieza's database almost nine years ago, and regardless how grievous his injuries were, he didn't want to give up its location so easily. He thought a moment more before coming to a decision, typing it into his pod's communicator.

Tarble.

~0~

Nine-year-old Tarble skipped down the street with groceries in hand along with a smile on his face. He'd been sent to the store by his adoptive parents to pick up a few things, glad to be out of the house since it was such a beautiful day. He absolutely loved spending his time outside and hoped someday as an adult he'd get a job that kept him in the great outdoors every day. His thought process was suddenly broken though when he noticed some familiar faces up the road.

"Pea! Shall! Turnip!" He called out to the young boys ahead. Everyone else on this planet looked very different than him with large round heads, short bodies, and two holes in their faces instead of a nose. The three boys turned when they heard their names called and their expressions dropped.

"Oh, it's just Tarble." Pea said, scoffing.

"Yeah, what a weirdo." Shall continued, smirking.

"Come on guys, let's get out of here before his weird rubs off!" Turnip announced, laughing as he ran away, his friends chasing him close behind. Tarble watched them go, wondering why they were being so cold to him these days. He walked the rest of the way with his head hanging low until he could see someone he didn't know standing in the entryway of his house. Tarble rushed over when he noticed the man was talking to his parents and as he got closer, they all looked up at him like they'd seen a ghost.

"Mom, dad! What's the matter?" He asked. The man beside his parents smiled.

"We've had a visitor come to our planet, and he claims to know you."

~0~

A/N: guys, I don't even know what to tell you... I just started writing and I couldn't stop T.T the point of view doesn't even make sense but i'll fix it with some magical Plot Convenience (TM). but I swear, it's just too cute, I couldn't help it. well, not this chapter, the next chapter, which already has 5k words. I was honestly debating making this a whole separate fanfic because of how it starts and the Tarble POV but hey, you only live once, gotta take some risks. The next chapter will either be up tonight or will be beefed up with another 5k words and up at a later date

save me from myself

and by that I mean review :3


	10. Nii-san

Tarble stood over the hospital cot, staring with disbelief at someone who looked exactly like himself, except covered in bandages. His eyes were glued to this stranger, suddenly filled with a million questions like who he was, where he came from, and why they looked so similar. The doctors told him they didn't know much about him, other than the fact that he arrived like this with a single communication that had only his name.

Just then, a flick of the stranger's eyelids caused Tarble to flinch. He stared in fascination as the other slowly awoke, his vision gradually adjusting until he was staring into the wide curious eyes of his little brother. Vegeta held back when his reflexes screamed at him to strike the other who was way too close to his face, and instead he gave the younger a weird expression which he seemed to get the intended message across.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" The boy announced, taking a step back. His stupid smile immediately returned to his face. "My name's Tarble! But, I, uh… I guess you already knew that." The boy stated nervously. Vegeta just stared and blinked, taking a moment to process what he heard and realizing the doctors must have hooked him up with some pretty good drugs.

"Oh! Right! I nearly forgot!" Tarble announced, reaching for the night stand, picking up a notepad and pen. He held the objects out to Vegeta who hesitantly took them. "The doctors said you won't be able to speak for a while, so I brought you one of my school notebooks!" He stated proudly.

Vegeta looked down at the simple book with a green paper cover and opened it to the first page, finding a journal entry in fairly neat handwriting. He flipped to the next page and was met with two more journal entries. Tarble chuckled.

"Sorry, new school year so the first few pages are from my journaling." He said with a bashful expression. Vegeta flipped a few more pages until he found a blank one then uncapped the pen. Tarble ran to the far corner of the room for the little armchair seated there, bringing it over. As he sat down, he looked up expectantly to see Vegeta had finished what he was writing, with not the greatest penmanship.

 _I am your brother. My name is Vegeta._

Tarble stared, dumbstruck. He sat like that for quite a while and Vegeta was beginning to get annoyed when the younger swiftly sprang up.

"I have a brother? ?" He shouted in disbelief. Vegeta scowled, turning back to the notebook.

 _You are a Saiyan, a race of warriors. Our planet was destroyed by an asteroid. There are only a handful of survivors._

Tarble slumped back into his chair in utter shock.

"Gosh, that's a lot to take in." He mused. Vegeta wrote some more.

 _You were sent here as a baby. Many Saiyans were sent to far planets as babies. I haven't met many. Those I did have died. I serve under the tyrant Frieza in his empire._

Tarble didn't think he could be anymore shocked, and yet his mouth kept dropping farther.

"Frieza? As in THE Lord Frieza? ?" He asked incredulously. Vegeta nodded. Tarble stammered for a minute before finding his voice. "Did he do this to you?" His younger brother asked, indicating his injuries. Vegeta shook his head and wrote some more.

 _On a mission. Cowardly partner cut leg and stabbed throat. Monster child bit arm._

Tarble fell back in his chair. "He STABBED you in the THROAT?" He asked, astonished. Vegeta nodded, then mimicked the knife going straight into his throat. Tarble grimaced.

"But wait, why was I sent to this planet as a baby?" He asked. Vegeta scrawled some more.

 _Weak babies were sent away. Meant to destroy life on planets by turning into the mighty Ozaru._

Tarble had to read that twice. "Weak? What do you mean weak?" He asked indignantly. Vegeta glanced around until he found something suitable. A basket of fruit was on his bedside table. He searched through it until he found one that was considerably dense and held it out. In one motion he reduced it to nothing more than pulp and juice, causing Tarble's eyes to nearly pop out of his head. The younger picked up a piece that looked the same, but when he tried to squish it, he couldn't manage. Vegeta sneered. Tarble wanted to retort something, but couldn't manage to think of anything, and ultimately started tearing up. Vegeta rolled his eyes, wrote something down, then smacked Tarble over the head with the notebook.

"Ouch! What was that for?" He demanded, holding his head. When he glanced up, Vegeta was displaying it so he could read what he wrote.

 _Stop crying._

Tarble scowled, drying his eyes. He then looked down, his expression sullen and gloomy.

"What about mom and dad?" He asked, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer. Vegeta shook his head and wrote something else.

 _Died when asteroid struck._

After he read the words, Tarble immediately teared up again much to Vegeta's displeasure. Tears and snot ran down his face as he tried his best to choke back the sobs. Vegeta used the notebook to smack him even harder and held it up once more, tapping his finger impatiently at the previous thing he'd written.

 _Stop crying._

Tarble nodded, grabbing some napkins that were on the table and using them to blow his nose. He decided it would be best to change the topic so he didn't have to think of something so gloomy.

"So, how old are you?" He asked, wadding up the napkin, throwing it in the trash. Vegeta turned to his paper.

 _14._

Tarble nodded. "Well I'm nine years old and I just started my fourth year of school. What year are you in?"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow then drew a question mark on the paper. Tarble was at a loss.

"School? Don't you go to school?"

Vegeta frowned, wondering what would make this kid think he went to school full time.

 _No. But I have studies. Since planet Vegeta was destroyed nine years ago they haven't been as formal._

Tarble gasped. "Nine years ago? You mean right after I was born?" He asked in amazement. Vegeta nodded and Tarble tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Wait, I thought your name was Vegeta?" He asked, confused. Vegeta nodded and turned back to the notebook.

 _As is our father's. Father was king, we are the Princes of all Saiyans._

Tarble's jaw dropped. "I'm a PRINCE?" He shouted, climbing up ridiculously in his chair. Vegeta scowled at the behavior, making the younger feel foolish as he composed himself and climbed down. He cleared his throat.

"So, um, what do you do?" He asked casually. Vegeta glanced away, his expression thoughtful before he started writing again.

 _Eradicate life on planets in preparation to be sold by Frieza._

Tarble felt faint.

"W-what?"

Vegeta lowered the notebook into his lap, his expression morose. He glanced at his brother out of the corner of the eye, seeing fear and disbelief written all over his face. Vegeta scrawled again on the page.

 _If I don't, I die. And I need to live to kill Frieza._

Tarble blinked, feeling no less sick than before. He wanted to ask how he could do such a thing, but his answer was right in front of him. Vegeta was nearly dead, beaten and broken laying in a hospital bed not even able to talk. He'd heard stories of Lord Frieza, none of which were pleasant. In fact, this planet even had defense plans in place should Frieza or his men ever visit them. The townspeople always talked about it, entirely sure they were due for a visit any day.

"Is Frieza coming here?" Tarble asked quietly.

 _No. I changed records in the database when Planet Vegeta was destroyed. Couldn't trust him. Indicated this was a methane gas planet._

Tarble looked at the words incredulously. "Really, why?" He asked in disbelief. Vegeta rolled his eyes.

 _You, dumbass._

Tarble blinked then lit up with the brightest smile he'd had in a very long time. He squealed in glee and jumped out of his chair, wrapping his arms around Vegeta in a tight hug.

"A brother! I can't believe I have a brother!" He called out, not realizing Vegeta was in a great amount of pain. He thought about shoving the other away, but instead just sat there accepting his fate.

~0~

The next day Tarble dashed out of school like a madman, not bothering to stay for his afterschool programs and instead running down the street to the hospital. He'd waited for this moment ever since visitor hours had ended yesterday and rushed up the front steps of the hospital, tore past the reception desk, and whizzed down the hall to the room Vegeta was in. When he got there though, his expression of pure excitement dropped into one of confused dismay. The room was empty, like the older had just gotten up and left. Maybe he was in the bathroom? Just then Tarble noticed the window was open and a familiar shape was outside. He rushed over to see Vegeta hovering over the courtyard, practicing punches.

"Oi! Nii-san!" He called out, waving to his brother. Vegeta interrupted his practice, turning at the sound then flew back to his window. "Nii-san, shouldn't you be in bed?" Tarble asked, worry causing his eyebrows to knit together. Vegeta scowled and folded his arms as if saying 'try and make me'. Tarble just shook his head exasperatedly and took off his backpack.

"Nii-san! I made you something in school today!" He announced, pulling out a piece of cardboard paper with string attached to it like a necklace. Vegeta took it and read it. In the center it said 'Yes / Maybe / No', on the edges it said 'Never / Stop / Always / What', and in the corners it said 'Hungry / Thirsty / Tired / I love Nii-san'.

Vegeta grimaced at the last one and began ripping the corner. Tarble's expression fell into one of horror as he watched his brother tuck the scrap into his pocket.

"Nii-san, that's so mean!" He exclaimed. Vegeta just rolled his eyes as he draped the sign over his neck. He edged away from the window and waited expectantly, then glowered when his brother didn't seem to understand. When he motioned for him to follow though, Tarble balked at the implication.

"I can't fly!" He announced incredulously. Vegeta frowned, flying back over to the window and grabbing a fistful of his little brother's shirt.

"Nii-san!" Tarble exclaimed, but it was too late. He was pulled through the window with a yelp and immediately wrapped his arms tightly around the other's shoulders before he could fall. When he realized he wasn't going to die he relaxed a bit, sitting up and looking into the unamused eyes of his brother. He chuckled nervously, then slung the backpack he realized he was holding onto with a death grip over his shoulders.

"Where are we going?" He asked, to which Vegeta pointed towards the mountains.

"There?" He asked, thinking hard. "I guess. There's a nice waterfall with a big lake." He offered. Vegeta nodded and took off. They reached the mountains soon enough and Tarble had to look around a bit before he saw it, indicating to Vegeta to descend. They landed in a large clearing and Vegeta gently set his little brother down, scowling as he shook out his injured arm when Tarble was standing.

"Oh no! Did I hurt you, Nii-san?" He asked, worried. Vegeta glanced down at the card tied to his neck, pointing to one of the words.

 _No_

Tarble smiled brightly, glad his brother liked his present. Vegeta glanced down again and indicated another word.

 _Hungry_

Tarble frowned. "Okay, but there aren't any restaurants close by." He said, hesitantly. Vegeta just pointed at the lake. "Fishing?" His little brother asked. "But we don't have any poles. Or bait."

Vegeta rolled his eyes and smacked his forehead. This kid was living such a ridiculously sheltered life. He took off his hospital shirt but before he could take off the matching pants his brother had stopped him.

"Wait, you can't get your bandages wet! Your injuries could get worse!" He declared, grabbing onto Vegeta's arm and staring at him with big pleading eyes. The elder glowered, ultimately agreeing with the logic and decided he'd have to be a little more creative. Tarble couldn't help catching a glimpse of his brother's chest now that he wasn't wearing a shirt and gasped.

"Holy cow! Your muscles are huge!" He announced. Vegeta glanced down at himself in suprise, watching as Tarble began counting his scars. The bruise from where Cui kicked him had turned into an ugly mix of purple and yellow. However, the worst of his injuries were bandaged up. The side of his chest Cui had nicked him with a ki-blast, the cut in his leg, the stab wound in his throat… Tarble walked around him with a thoughtful expression.

"Sixteen? You have sixteen scars? ?" Tarble asked hysterically. Vegeta just shrugged, not wanting to remind him there were more on his legs. Tarble's eyes began to mist over. "It's not fair for you to be out there. Forced to do that kind of stuff." He said miserably. "I should be out there too, protecting my brother."

Vegeta glared bitterly and bopped the other on the head with his fist. Tarble yelped, his hands flying to his scalp.

"Nii-san! That wasn't very nice!"

Vegeta folded his arms with a smug and condescending expression. Tarble understood the implication but continued to pout. The older brother rolled his eyes and decided to try something. He took a fighting stance, feet placed wide apart with one a bit more forward than the other, one arm held up to block and the other held in reserve at his waist. Tarble's immediate reaction was to flinch until he saw his brother was just holding the stance. He looked confused for a moment until he realized he was meant to mimic him.

Tarble did his best, switching his feet a few times before holding the pose. Vegeta shook his head lightly.

The older prince pointed down at his feet, indicating their positions. He held up his card and pointed to the 'Yes', then brought his feet closer together and pointed to the 'No', then spread them again pointing to the 'Yes'.

"Ohh." Tarble mused, spreading his legs a little wider. Next Vegeta indicated his knees. He bounced up and down a bit pointing to 'Yes', then stood straight and pointed to 'No', then bent his knees and pointed to 'Yes'. Tarble took the instruction and Vegeta stood straight, walking over to the younger. He tapped at his elbow, indicating to raise it, then tapped at his shoulders indicating to lower them. He poked him to straighten his back, poked him to square his shoulders, and then tipped his chin a little lower. He then bent at the waist to look Tarble in the eye, pointing at his features which had turned dark and serious. Tarble did his best to recreate his brother's expression but didn't think he'd ever be able to reach that level of intensity.

Vegeta slapped him on the shoulder, causing him to stumble, and signifying a job well done. Tarble giggled happily at the praise, watching as his brother went over to a tree. Vegeta squared up, setting his expression, and with one punch the trunk was split across causing the whole tree to come toppling down.

"Wow, that's so amazing!" He exclaimed. Vegeta smirked at the praise and then grabbed him by the forearm, dragging him over to a smaller tree. Tarble stared at it and then his brother.

"A-are you sure?" He asked tentatively. Vegeta nodded once with complete confidence. Tarble sincerely doubted it would be possible but decided to trust the other and squared up. He took a deep breath, remembering what to raise and lower, setting his expression to confident determination and then striking out with his fist, hitting the trunk dead center.

Then immediately crumpling to the floor.

Tarble shrieked from the pain, clutching the knuckles he was sure he had broken while Vegeta used his first finger and thumb to pinch the bridge of his nose, letting out a long breath.

Vegeta had ripped scraps from his hospital shirt, using them to wrap Tarble's hand. The younger hadn't appreciated his brother's method of looking for broken bones by digging his thumb between his knuckles and watching for whatever moved funny. The older prince had motioned to only two being broken, but Tarble sincerely felt like it was all of them. He flinched when Vegeta tied off the rest of the strips rather tightly. However, the pressure certainly helped the pain. He suddenly flinched as he saw Vegeta's hand coming for him, then relaxed when his brother just used it to ruffle his hair.

"It's ok, Nii-san. I forgive you." He stated, smiling brightly. Vegeta frowned and glanced away just before both their stomachs announced their hunger. The two glanced between each other and grinned.

Vegeta stood, looking around before walking over to a tree and pulling off a fuzzy piece of moss, then breaking off a small twig. He came back and held them up to Tarble.

"Do you want me to get more?" He asked, earning a nod from his brother. He jumped to his feet and nodded back before dashing off for the trees.

While he did that, Vegeta cut the tree he'd chopped down into suitable firewood pieces, setting a particularly good piece aside along with a thick twig. Next, he flew over the lake, watching patiently until a large fish swam a little too close to the surface and he was able to use a ki-blast from his finger, waiting as it eventually surfaced dead. He scooped it up by the gill, bringing it to camp just as Tarble made it back with an armful of moss and twigs.

They sat down to a roaring fire and fresh grilled fish, eating their fill until they could eat no more.

"Nii-san?" Tarble asked, earning his brother's attention. "Do you have to leave this planet?"

Vegeta closed his eyes and sighed, then lifted his card.

 _Yes_

Tarble frowned pathetically. "Can I come with you?" He asked, knowing the answer but still naively hopeful.

 _Never_

Tarble drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around his knees, sniffling.

"I'm gonna miss you." He stated sadly. Vegeta sighed and plopped a hand down on top on his head, scrubbing his fingers through his little brother's hair.

"Do you think I could be as strong as you one day?"

Vegeta snorted.

 _Maybe_

Tarble made a face at his older brother and Vegeta tweaked his nose in response.

"Ouch! No fair!" He yelled. Vegeta chuckled until he was coughing. The coughing soon turned into hacking and Tarble watching in horror as blood splattered in his brother's hand.

"Nii-san, are you ok?" He asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Vegeta swatted it away though and pointed to his card.

 _Stop_

Tarble frowned but obeyed, sighing loudly as he looked up at the darkened sky.

Wait a minute…

"Crap!" Tarble shouted, springing up. "Crap, crap! I'm dead! They're going to kill me!" He called out hysterically, collapsing to his knees and shoveling dirt onto the fire. Vegeta raised an eyebrow and tapped him on the shoulder. Tarble turned to see his sign in his face.

 _What_

"My parents! It's so late! I've never been out this late without telling them before!" He called out. Vegeta gave him an incredibly odd look.

"Just… trust me, ok!"

Vegeta shrugged and did his best to help snuff the fire. When that was done, Tarble made sure to grab his backpack before they took to the sky.

"Um, I don't think I can point you to my house up here. But if you take me to the hospital, I can definitely make it back on my own." He offered. Vegeta accepted and tried to remember where the building was. They eventually made it, with a few odd twists and turns, and Vegeta set his brother down on the sidewalk.

"Well, um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Tarble stated, waving awkwardly. Vegeta didn't look amused. He swung his brother around and opened the little backpack, reaching in and finding the notebook and a pen. He opened it to the next clean page and began to write.

 _No hospital. I'll stay with you?_

Tarble lit up when he read the words. He tried hard but could no longer suppress the jump for joy or the bear hug. Vegeta groaned at the physical contact, wondering if he was going to regret this choice. When Tarble finally released him, he took hold of Vegeta's hand and began leading him away.

"Mom and dad should be ok with it. After all, they were as excited as I was to hear I have a brother!" He announced, dragging his older brother along who still had to walk with a limp. He managed to tuck the notebook and pen into the other's pack as he was pulled along.

The street lights illuminated the sidewalks brightly, making it seem to Vegeta as if the sun had never set in the first place. He was just about to take to the sky to give his leg a break when Tarble's face suddenly lit up and he waved a hand over his head.

"My friends!" He called out happily. Vegeta glanced from him to the group of three boys ahead. When they caught sight of him though, they just seemed to shrivel back.

Just then Vegeta was yanked forward as Tarble began running until they eventually caught up. When they stopped, Vegeta was pathetically out of breath and he cursed the swelling in his throat.

"Turnip, Shall, Pea! This is my brother, Vegeta!" He exclaimed proudly, indicating the taller Saiyan behind him. The three looked unamused.

"Look, Pea, another weirdo."

"Yeah, why are they both so weird."

Tarble laughed nervously and turned to his brother.

"We go way back. The four of us used to play all the time when we were really little." He explained, not entirely comfortable with the way Vegeta was looking at the three.

"Not anymore." Turnip said, folding his arms.

"Yeah, we heard you're the reason Lord Frieza is coming here someday." Pea continued. Tarble froze.

"Wait, what?" He asked quietly, his expression hurt.

"Yeah. Everyone in town hates you. Except your parents, they're the only ones saying you haven't done anything. But everyone knows it's only a matter of time." Shall explained before sticking out his tongue at the younger Saiyan.

"But… but I didn't…" He tried, trembling as tears started collecting in his eyes.

"Just leave, weirdo. And tell your brother to back off before he gets even more bandaged." Turnip warned, holding up his fist to back up his claim.

"What's with him anyways? Did he trip down some stairs?" Shall asked in a mocking tone. Tarble wiped his eyes.

"N-no. He was stabbed in the neck and nearly eaten on planet Julius." He explained.

The three boys' jaws dropped.

"In the neck? ?"

"Nearly Eaten? ?"

"Planet Julius! !" The three exclaimed one after another, piecing together the story before shrieking loudly.

"I-I didn't mean it, mister! I'm so sorry!" Shall exclaimed loudly, looking as if he was going to soil himself. Vegeta liked this treatment much better, and Tarble wasn't sure if he was afraid his brother was going to do something more violent now compared to earlier. The boys screamed in unison once again before sprinting off into the night.

Tarble wanted to go after them but figured there wasn't a point. He remembered what Vegeta said, how he'd gone into the main database of Frieza's ship and made it so no one would bother to come. He turned to find his brother giving him an unamused expression. Tarble glanced away sheepishly.

"We're just going through some stuff." He muttered. Vegeta rolled his eyes.

Tarble yelped when Vegeta slipped his hands under his brother's armpits and hoisted him onto his hip then took off into the sky. He hovered there for a moment until Tarble realized he had to lead the way.

They landed at his front porch and as Tarble was reaching out to open the front door, it was swung open dramatically to reveal an angry looking little woman.

"Where in the world have you been!" She shouted, looking him up and down. "You don't tell me where you're going, you don't call, and you're absolutely filthy!"

Tarble chuckled lightly, bringing a hand to the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, mom. I was with Vegeta and the time got away from me."

He was stopped before he could continue when she reached out and grabbed his hand. "A bandage! What happened to you!" She called out, tugging him inside. Vegeta quietly entered as well, slowly closing the door behind him. He walked over to the kitchen area where Tarble was seated at a table as his mom undid the bandage.

"We were just playing. Vegeta was teaching me how to punch and I got a little carried away." He explained, wincing a bit.

"Oh, he was, was he?" She asked, throwing a deadly glare over her shoulder. Vegeta just scowled.

"It's nothing bad! Honest! Besides, martial arts are good for centering kids!"

His mom got up and headed for a cabinet, opening it to reveal what looked like a second hospital as she continued to scold and lecture the two over her shoulder, telling her son he was irresponsible for breaking two knuckles.

"I guess I should mention she's a nurse." Tarble whispered. Vegeta gave a slight nod.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Tarble?" His mom asked, a large basket in each of her hands filled with all kinds of supplies. "Can't have you running around my house looking like that and can't have you bathing in your bandages." She said motioning for him to follow. "And you're coming too, Vegeta." She announced, not willing to negotiate. Vegeta raised an eyebrow but was curious enough to follow along.

They ended up in a bathroom with a tub in the corner and mom ordering the two boys to get in. Vegeta just folded his arms as Tarble began to get undressed.

"Don't even think about being defiant." She warned, dropping her stuff on the ground and placing her hands on her hips. "You're telling me you're going to wash and bandage those wounds yourself?"

Vegeta glared testily. Tarble's mom didn't back down though and instead glared back with equal intensity until the older prince finally gave in and unfolded his arms. The woman smiled and pulled out a step ladder from behind the door, climbing it and undressing his bandages. She was careful and diligent in the task while Tarble got to work turning on the shower and setting the water to a pleasant temperature.

"Don't forget to shampoo your tail." She told her son, earning a grumble in response as he began washing the dirt away. Vegeta stood still as she picked the gauze from his throat, examining it for debris.

"Nii-san, that looks like it really hurts." Tarble said solemnly, his expression pitying. Vegeta turned to his brother with a thoughtful expression, promptly covered his nose and mouth, then rapidly forced air in and out of his lungs, causing the hole in his throat to wheeze and bubble. Tarble shrieked, quickly pulling the shower curtain closed.

"That's not funny, nii-san!" He shouted. His mom couldn't help laughing though.

When Tarble was finished with his shower, Vegeta's bandages had been completely removed and the small woman instructed him to sit in the tub. She set to work scrubbing his hair, trying her best to get all the dirt which turned out to be more daunting of a task than she'd expected. Tarble giggled at his brother's ridiculous expressions as she pulled and scraped, instructing her son to hand her the scissors from one of her baskets. Vegeta scowled, not liking it when anyone touched his hair. He allowed it though and glared when Tarble laughed even harder as his hair was drench and sat plastered against his scalp.

"Tarble, why don't you pull out some extra blankets and a pillow?" His mom instructed, not yet ready to see what an angry Saiyan was capable of. "And bring your brother a change of clothes!" She called after him.

"Yes, mom!"

The two sat in silence as she meticulously cleaned each of his injuries and scrubbed more dirt than she thought was possible.

"I'm going to have to have a talk with the folks down at the hospital. It doesn't look like they got you terribly cleaned up at all!" She stated. Vegeta didn't respond. It wasn't often he bathed in the first place, he didn't feel like baths were terribly necessary. Especially since more times than not he ended up in a healing tank which took care of that for him. He was also greatly distracted in that moment when the woman started scrubbing his back and he felt like he'd died and gone to heaven. He arched his spine from the pleasure, earning a chuckle from the other as she carved her fingers even deeper into his skin, making the prince shiver. She dug her thumbs into his shoulder blades and massaged his shoulders, eventually letting go which brought Vegeta back to reality. He wiped a line of drool from his chin as a light blush lit up his cheeks.

Tarble was suddenly back, carrying a change of clothes. He set them down on the counter, glancing at the tub to see the water draining away was mostly pink.

"Thank you, son." She said. "Boy, you two really are brothers. Vegeta here likes back rubs just as much as you, maybe even a little more."

Tarble chuckled a moment until his face fell, figuring it wasn't often his older brother had any kind of affection. He was broken from his stupor though by a few drops of water hitting him in the face.

"Hey!" He shouted, finding Vegeta sneering back at him.

"Alright boys, that's enough." She said, turning off the water. "Tarble, help me get your brother up."

Vegeta braced one arm against the edge of the tub while his younger brother held onto the other one and lifted. Tarble hardly did anything since his older brother was so heavy, but Vegeta didn't seem to fault him for that. When he was standing he was handed a towel and gladly took it.

"Now then, Tarble, let's get a look at your hand."

After their injuries were taken care of and they were dressed, the boys headed to Tarble's room and Vegeta collapsed on his bed. Tarble's mom had agreed he could stay home from school the next day to spend time with his brother and he began searching through his bookshelf for things to do.

"Oh! Or we could go to the aquarium! Or the zoo! Or there's a park with a really fun playground, or the beach! But wait, you shouldn't go swimming… hmm…" He flipped a few more pages in his local travel guide, rattling ideas off, until he heard his brother inhale deeply. Tarble climbed onto his knees and crawled over, peering across the bed.

"Nii-san, are you sleeping?" He whispered. When he wasn't given a response he stood and began putting his books in a stack, then closed his door and turned off the light, crawling into bed beside the other and pulling the blankets over them.

"Goodnight, nii-san."

~0~

A/N: idk what's gotten into me, but dang I just couldn't stop writing. next chapter will be the revival of the plot, but for now have some fluff. I figured I'd done enough terrible things to poor Vegeta, he deserves some love. and back scratches.


End file.
